Midlands Prison to get 250 more spaces
Expansion plans have been fast-tracked for the overcrowded prison. File image
THE Midlands Prison in Portlaoise will have space for 250 more inmates, with the fast-tracking of two separate expansion projects.
A new wing will provide 180 additional spaces, while a further 70 will be created on the circular landings of the prison that currently has 891 beds.
The prison on the Dublin Road is constantly overcrowded, with the number of inmates regularly rising far above 1,000 and reaching 1,088 today. The additional spaces will give the prison capacity for 1,140 inmates.
The two expansion projects are set to go out to tender next year, as part of the updated National Development Plan (NDP) confirmed for the Department of Justice this week.
In its NDP 2025 review, the department said agreement has been secured for six major prison projects, including the Midlands Prison, to ‘bypass the first approval gate of the infrastructure guidelines’.
The review said: ‘This decision is expected to bring forward delivery timelines on those six projects by 12 to 18 months, while freeing up internal capacity within IPS (Irish Prison Service) to advance the wider programme.’
However, a long-awaited new courthouse for Portlaoise has not received the go-ahead for construction under the NDP, nearly six years after a site was purchased for €750,000 in 2020. The greenfield site near the Aldi supermarket in Kylekiproe was bought by the Office of Public Works (OPW) but is still lying idle.
The only other major Department of Justice project in Laois to be approved for funding under the NDP is the completion of the major extension and redevelopment of the Garda Divisional Headquarters for Laois/Offaly, which is currently under construction in Portlaoise.
The newly extended and upgraded Divisional Headquarters is due to be completed in 2027.
While he welcomed approval of the Midlands Prison expansion, Laois TD Seán Fleming said today that he was disappointed with the lack of progress on a much-needed new courthouse in Portlaoise.
Deputy Fleming said in a statement: ‘I have spoken directly with Minister Jim O’Callaghan and Taoiseach Micheál Martin in recent days about the urgent need for the new courthouse.
‘I have asked for a commitment that planning for this project commences as soon as possible, so that it can proceed to tendering and construction at the first available opportunity.’
He added: ‘I know it is very important to move the courthouse from the Main Street in Portlaoise to its new location and I will continue to work on this until we achieve progress.’
The NDP up to 2030 lists a total of 11 courthouse development projects needed nationwide, with Portlaoise joined in the running by Galway City, Wicklow Town, Tralee, Roscommon, Naas, Bray, Navan, Swords, Tallaght and Dun Laoghaire.
