Mr. Jim Mitchell:

There is frustration as much as anything else. People join the Irish Prison Service for many reasons. Security of tenure does not come into the reckoning because there are many other jobs. It is always challenging and the people who join are particularly well motivated. In time, if they do not have enough resources and are being constantly stretched, it will impinge on morale. It affects some places more than others. The more difficult and challenging the job the lower morale will be because officers did not join the service for that reason - they joined to do something positive. When staff are under-resourced and under pressure, morale becomes an issue.