Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is one of the issues. Some of the prisons are very old and their energy systems are also very old. We are looking at what can be done to effect cost-effective energy savings. I must be conscious that measures which are cost-effective can result in substantial current capital expenditure that is not always available and that is one of the issues. I am very conscious of that issue and hopefully we will make progress in that area.

Reference was made to the community courts. Arising from discussions an official in my Department is working on a paper on this subject. It is relevant to the Dublin drug treatment court. We are factoring the way that court works into the planning for the community court. I would hope this work will be completed in July when the Chairman and I will have further conversations on this matter. The finished document will be made available to this committee and we can decide how to move the matter forward.