Mr. Martin Smyth:

I wish to add that I acknowledge people's concerns about the training unit. Apart from its structural, physical relocation, the training unit's purpose of normalisation and resocialisation, particularly for prisoners coming towards the end of long sentences, will remain. A large proportion of the prisoners in the training unit have been through the parole board process and are on programmes already approved by the Tánaiste. We will not be changing this in any way. I wish to give an undertaking that the position of non-parole board prisoners, that is, those prisoners whom my staff sentence-manage directly, who are going in and out every day to engage in employment or training etc., will not change. We are not moving these people to a darker place or moving away from our ethos of renormalisation. I wish to put the Deputy's mind at ease regarding that aspect of the matter.