Two prison officers whom the State authorities are trying to move from a Department of Justice-owned housing estate near Portlaoise Prison were given a four-month reprieve by Judge Mary Martin at the local court yesterday.
Mr James Dwyer SC and Ms Sarah Phelan, for the State, said that it had been "generous in its timescale with the defendants".
The 60-house Beladd Park estate was built for prison officers in the 1980s. The State now wants it for other purposes. It gave written notice last May for the officers to move in November. Few now remain at the estate. The prison officers say they were originally told to live in the houses and the cost of now living elsewhere was prohibitive.
Solicitor Mr Chris Dobbin, for the defendants, said that Mr Anthony Irwin had been located there for 26 years. He was seeking alternative accommodation and had paid a deposit on a house. In the case of Mr Richard Buckley, his circumstances were "not great". He did not have alternative plans, but was in talks with the Department.
Judge Martin adjourned both cases to October 9th.