Inspector of Prisons HQ must remain in Longford – FF

Fianna Fáil is calling on Government TDs in the constituency to commit to retaining the Inspector of Prisons Headquarters in Longford Town.

The call was made by Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy and his fellow General Election candidate Connie Gerety Quinn following reports that consideration is being given towards the idea of moving the Headquarters to an area outside of Longford.

“The people of Longford will be alarmed to hear that the Inspector of Prisons is considering re-locating its Headquarters. The Headquarters has been located in Longford town since 2008 and has brought much needed employment and economic activity to the region,” said Deputy Troy.

“It’s bizarre to think that efforts are now underway to remove the Headquarters from Longford considering the monumental effort that went towards locating it in Longford in the first instance. This is a short sighted proposal which should be rejected without delay.

Fianna Fáil General Election candidate Connie Gerety Quinn says Longford is an ideal location for the Headquarters.

“A great degree of consideration was given towards moving the Headquarters to Longford when a location was being decided upon back in 2005. It was pointed out that Longford is well served by main roads and is only an hour and a half drive from Dublin. Furthermore it is on the main road to the West of Ireland and is easily accessible for people travelling to the location from across Ireland.

“The decentralisation of services has been a major source I sustainable employment in rural towns and communities. The Prison Headquarters provides good quality jobs and income for the Longford area and it will be sorely missed if it is forced to re-locate yet again. It makes no sense to move the Headquarters to Dublin when you consider the housing and rental crisis gripping the city at present.

“I am calling on Fine Gael and Labour TD’s in Longford – Westmeath to show their support for the retention of the Headquarters in Longford. We need to maintain the jobs that we have instead of transferring them to Dublin.”