James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is a consistent comment from all of the services within the Prison Service that it is not possible to give people treatment if they are on less than a one-year prison sentence. That continues to be the situation. The impact is more severe on women.

When I travelled around the prison, one of the things I learned that was striking is that men in prison get a significant number of visitors, while women get very few, if any. Everyone told me the same thing. It stood out. This is why the facilities in, for example, Limerick Prison are so important. We must maximise the facilities where women can receive visitors, and especially from their children and immediate family. The loneliness hits women much harder in the context of a lack of visitors. There is no question about this.