CONFUSION AND ANGER OVER PRISON MEETINGS

It is unclear as to when Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan will hear the concerns of people from Kilworth after two proposed meetings about the prison complex planned for the village were cancelled in the last week. While there is no doubt amongst local politicians of Minister Lenihan’s genuine intentions to meet the people of Kilworth, there have been criticisms of the handling of the proposed meetings.

Fianna Fail county councillor Frank O'Flynn has this week explained that as Mr Lenihan will be escorted by the Garda Commissioner on his visit to Fermoy next Monday, the minister will not be in a position to meet any public group.

Fine Gael councillor Liam O’Doherty has rejected the explanation, describing it as a “waffle of an excuse”.

“It is not good enough that Councillor O’Flynn should promise the people of Kilworth a deputation with the minister when it’s not going to happen. It is not fair on the people of Kilworth, and the excuse of it being a conflict of interest with the Garda Commissioner there is not good enough”, Cllr O’Doherty said this week, “why can’t he wait in Fermoy while the minister takes the time to meet people and hear their concerns? I have no doubt that the minister has a genuine concern for the people’s opinion but why can’t he still take a bit of time to hear them next Monday?”

Cllr. O’Flynn said that he would look into the possibility of the minister meeting concerned Kilworth residents next week but restated his belief that Mr Lenihan would look at the site of the planned complex at a future date.

It has also been revealed that a meeting with the minister, arranged by Cork East TD Ned O’Keeffe was cancelled. It is believed that the meeting, scheduled for last Thursday, was called off at the last minute due to debates on the budget. Cllr. O’Doherty believes that a meeting with the minister in Dublin is the best approach.

“We need to send a group up to sit down with the minister, but we need to be given more information on the plans, that is what gets people going with you rather than against you,” Cllr O’Doherty added.

Labour TD Sean Sherlock agrees that such a meeting is needed and believes that it will take place in the new year.

“I spoke directly with the minister last week and, considering the busy programme he has for his visit to Fermoy, he stated a clear preference to sit down and meet with a delegation from Kilworth in the new year,” Mr Sherlock told The Avondhu.

"He stated that he wants to give more time to the issue, and, considering the early stage the plans are at, he wanted time to go over the issue over the Christmas period. I believe that this is a common sense approach", Mr Sherlock concluded.

Meanwhile a formal group concerned about the prison complex has been formed. Working with the full cooperation of Kilworth Community Council, the Munster Prison Complex Action committee is a 12 strong group, with Liam Walshe as chairman, Jim Nash as secretary and Richie O’Flynn as treasurer.

Mr Walshe said that the group were never given any formal invitation to meet the minister as yet, but that now the group has been formed they will look to open their own line of communication with Mr Lenihan and look forward to any future meeting to express the concerns of the people of Kilworth.

“We never fully anticipated a meeting with Mr Lenihan,” Mr Walshe told The Avondhu, “we don’t want to give the wrong impression that there was an agreed meeting in place, we got our information second hand from our local representatives. We are now looking forward to having our own communication with the minister".

 

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