Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Our guests mentioned a couple of themes that we hear regularly as being common across all sectors of society, namely, the lack of data on disability in communities and also the lack of training in disability and mental health. The IPRT said it estimated that nearly one in three prisoners in Ireland has an intellectual disability, so it could be greater. It indicated that we need a system for the collection of data. Has consideration been given to what kind of system is required or how it would work? I am sure there are many with intellectual disabilities who also have mental illnesses, and we need to gather that information. How do you solve a problem if you do not know the extent of it?

The Mental Health Commission provides inspection of approved centres. Are all prisons considered approved centres and are they inspected? We have to realise that many prisoners have mental health issues. That has been said here before. It was mentioned that a general prison inspection report has not been seen since 2014. Have all these reports been gathered but not published? If so, why is that? It is worrying that these reports are not being published. Again, if we do not know the extent of the problems in the prisons, how can we deal with them?

A number of people mentioned the high-level task force and diversion. Will they expand on that aspect? It would seem to be a good development, but what if it is not properly resourced? Reference was made to the joint working group on mental health services and the police and the fact that 12 years on there has been no change. We must ask if it was the case that it was not resourced properly or was not implemented. There are many different reports. If proper resources are not provided and if these reports are not implemented, they will not make the difference they are supposed to make. What advice is there for the committee or the Government on how to move these matters forward? You can have reports coming out of your ears but unless they are implemented and properly resourced they will not make the difference that they should make.