Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I said if the Irish Prison Service and the Department assert that the operation of the mess is not under the control of the Irish Prison Service, this would perhaps constitute a breach of rules 30 and 31 of the Prison Rules of 2007 in regard to the employment of prisoners. It is also alleged to me that in excess of €2 million has been spent on mess facilities over the past number of years from the capital budget of the Prison Service directly. The IPS has contracted a private company, Cater Care of Limerick, to audit the mess facilities for environmental health purposes. The audit reports are made to the Irish Prison Service and HSE environmental health officers also carry out inspections of the mess facilities and report to the Irish Prison Service. The governor of each prison is an ex officiomember of each mess committee. How, therefore, can we consider them to be independent?