THE Military Detection Unit at the Curragh, used in the past to hold IRA prisoners, will be ready in September to accommodate 68 prisoners as part of the Government's prison expansion plans.
The Minister for Defence and the Marine, Mr Barrett, yesterday handed over the keys to the military prison to his colleague, the Minister for Justice,
Mrs Owen.
Mrs Owen said the prison would be extended and refurbished and ready for use to accommodate the 68 civilian prisoners by September. The use of the Curragh for civilian prisoners is part of a plan, announced last year, to increase the number of prison spaces by almost 300.