Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 May 2026
28. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on plans to construct a new prison at Thornton Hall, including the timeline for delivery, in light of ongoing prison overcrowding and the long-standing delays associated with the project. [35707/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am acutely aware of the capacity constraints in our prisons and the challenges faced by those who work and live in our prisons as a result. The Irish Prison Service (IPS) must accept into custody all people committed to prison by the courts and has no control over the numbers committed to custody at any given time.
Since 2024, 232 spaces have been constructed across the Prison Estate, with 126 spaces delivered in 2024 and 106 in 2025. There are plans to build another 65 spaces in 2026.
In addition, Government has allocated funding for a significant building programme across the prison estate. On conclusion of the NDP Review in July 2025, I secured a record capital investment of €67.9 million for 2026, as part of a total investment of €528 million from 2026 to 2030, of which €495 million is being invested in building projects to further increase capacity.
The IPS is delivering one of the most significant capital programmes in the justice sector, reflecting the Government’s commitment to increase prison capacity and modernise the estate in line with population growth, with an overall target of delivering over 1,500 spaces by 2031.
This will include a large extension to the existing Cork Prison on the site of the old, decommissioned Cork Prison, a new block in Wheatfield, and an additional block extension at Midlands prison. This is in addition to spaces at Castlerea, Mountjoy and the Dóchas Centre, where an extension to Rowan House is expected to accommodate 50 women prisoners.
This record capital allocation will allow for work to start to plan and develop a new prison on the Thornton site in North County Dublin. A master plan for the site is planned to be developed in 2026, determining its future use as a combined site for use by the IPS, International Protection Accommodation Services and An Garda Síochána with plans to commence works in 2030.
