Mr. Don Culliton:

Yes, that can be the case. Under the Employment Equality Acts, there are exemptions for employees of the Prison Service. Given the nature of the service that we provide and the dangerous environment in which prison officers work, we must have people who are fully capable of undertaking the duties of a prison officer, including control and restraint and dealing with difficult prisoners. We have a limited number of spaces available to us where we can accommodate staff but the number is small. They are generally reserved for people who are-----