Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have some questions on the prisons Vote. There was reference to video linking in respect of prisoners' families. What about video linking in respect of court attendance? If there is more video linking, there is improved security. It saves money on transport and keeps the staff on site, which can be a help for security. It also reduces the potential for contraband to be passed in and around the courts.

I have an associated question on prison vehicles. There is a need for a review of prison vehicles because if there are going to be more video links then some of the prison vans are too big. Is there any provision for smaller vehicles to be used in the transport of prisoners to and from the courts when it is necessary?

There is a further point. The Minister mentioned the Inspector of Prisons. I welcome her announcement of the extra funding and more staff because there has not been a report from the Inspector of Prisons for about three years. I understand she was complaining that there were not enough resources, so any extra resources are welcome. The difficulty with the Inspector of Prisons is that in a recent case she was waiting for quite some time to obtain the terms of reference. She reports to the Minister for Justice, so there is a question about the independence of the Inspector of Prisons. I note there is a suggestion that the remit of the Ombudsman will be extended. The Minister said that in a recent reply to a parliamentary question. Has the Minister considered, perhaps, a separate prisons ombudsman to create a bulwark of independence for complaints which arise from within the prisons?