Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to welcome the ambassador to the joint committee. My first question might be off the topic of the Lithuanian Presidency. What action will the Lithuanian Government take concerning some of Lithuania's prisons? I raise this issue because in two recent court cases - one in Dublin and one in Belfast - the judges refused to extradite individuals who faced possible imprisonment in Lithuania. This was because of the conditions there, including overcrowding. The European Committee on the Prevention of Torture and the European Court of Human Rights have conducted research on prisons in Lithuania and have stated that the conditions in one particular prison remain inhumane and degrading. Given that Lithuania currently holds the Presidency, what will the Lithuanian Government be doing to improve prison conditions, including some prisoners' human rights and the visiting conditions which for some people may be conducted in a harsh environment?