Dr. Joe Garrihy:

I believe so but I am not 100% sure. I believe the public appointments part of this is key. As that is in the Bill, it is accepted at this point.

With regard to an ombudsman, the complaints procedures are under review, so it is hard to know what the arrangement will look like. However, the current format, which involves having five or six categories of complaints, is cumbersome and problematic, especially for people who are in prison and who do not have the resources and, often, the information on making complaints. Not least among them are those for whom English is a second language and those who have reduced capacity in English.

With regard to what an ombudsman should take on, I suggest what are called category-A and category-B complaints in the Irish Prison Service. These are serious complaints about violence, discrimination, the abuse of rights and so on. These two categories would be the first port of call but deciding how the other complaints should be dealt with is as important as deciding what a prison ombudsman would deal with.