Not all land is suitable for a prison, Minister for Finance Brian Cowen told the Dáil after it emerged that farmland close to the proposed new location for Mountjoy Prison was sold for one-fifth of the price paid by the Department of Justice.
Opposition deputies accused Minister for Justice Michael McDowell and the Progressive Democrats of being "profligate" with taxpayers' money. Fine Gael's justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe asked if Government legislation would be produced to prevent Mr McDowell from "ripping off" the taxpayer and wasting €29 million down the drain.
A farm of 238 acres, four miles from the site proposed for the new prison, sold last week for €6.2 million, about € 26,000 an acre. The Department of Justice paid almost €30 million for 150 acres or just under €200,000 an acre.