(Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 6 together.
I refer to my reply to Questions Nos. 381 and 382 of 18 October, 1984 about a place of detention and a prison at Wheatfield, Clondalkin, County Dublin. As regards other locations, further progress towards building at Rathmore Road, Cork, for 180 and at Portlaoise for 120 depends on availability of funds. Apart from proceeding as quickly as possible with these new places, the pressure on accommodation makes it necessary to take urgent steps to provide temporary accommodation for use at short notice. The bringing into use of Fort Mitchel on Spike Island and the taking over of the Education Units at Arbour Hill and Cork prisons are examples of measures that have enabled me to increase the prison population from about 1,670 at end of January to over 1,900 this week. Further changes in use of existing accommodation will be made if necessary in order to hold all those committed by the courts and I am still pursuing my search for other premises that could be used as prisoner accommodation.