Thornton Hall faces years of delay as funding unsure with cuts on lending

THE VISITING committee of Mountjoy Prison has suggested that the new prison at Thornton Hall in north Co Dublin could be delayed “for a number of years”.

In its as-yet unpublished 2008 report for Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern, the committee recommends investment in new workshops, gyms and classrooms at the current jail, Mountjoy in Dublin’s north inner city. It says the investment is needed because “we now understand from word of mouth that Thornton Hall has been deferred for a number of years”.

The planned new prison would replace Mountjoy. Initially, construction was to begin in 2007, with the jail opening by 2010. However, that timetable slipped when negotiations with the preferred bidder took longer than expected.

Late last year, Mr Ahern said the contract would be signed by the end of this month. However, in a written reply to a Dáil question last week, he said the contract would be signed “later this year”.

Contract negotiations are at a standstill because of difficulties in confirming funding as lending has dried up. The jail will be able to hold more than one prisoner in most cells, giving a 2,200 maximum occupancy, compared with 730 at the Mountjoy site.