Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the contributors. It has been a very interesting discussion among all the participants. Senator Ruane put her finger on it at the outset when she said everybody seemed to be on the same page with regard to the issues and problems. Everybody is sitting on the bus but we do not have a driver to bring us to the destination we all want to end up in. That is not to take away from the fact that some great work has been done in the prisons. Mr. Mullins said something in his contribution about buy-in from the entire community. It is all very well having good services within the prison system but unless we get community buy-in, be that from employers or communities at large, all the good work being done in the Prison Service will be undone whenever individuals go back out into the community again.

I acknowledge the presence of Mr. Graham. It is great to see him on the road he is on. He has walked the walk and talked the talk. I do not want to personalise this but how long was he in prison before he decided to embark on the road on which he now finds himself? Does he feel there is an appetite among other inmates to go down that road or is it something people refuse to look at?