Mr. Conal McFeely:

In response to the point about Fresh Start, that agreement presents us with a very good opportunity to have greater transparency and move towards a pathway to best practice in human rights within our prison system. It is an opportunity we should not miss. Clearly, politicians have a major role to play in that because it is something that has come out of our Assembly. It was signed up to and approved by the Office of the First and deputy First Minister. That is important, and it is an opportunity we should not miss.

It remains our view that, in terms of dealing with these prisoners, they are people who, if they give their word, will keep it. The reason I believe the agreement came unstuck was because it was broken by the Northern Ireland Prison Service at the beginning of the process, which led to it unravelling. However, I still believe it is possible, in light of what is available in terms of Fresh Start, to put in place a mutual respect policy that would lead to a more conflict-free environment. When there is no communication between prisoners and prison staff, we need to find a mechanism whereby effective communication can be restored. We will then begin to treat people as human beings and, in that context, move forward on issues.