Mr. Mark McGoldrick:

I would like to follow up on the theme of questioning relating to mental health. In the area I represent, in terms of the estate, I suppose it is something that has gone unnoticed. We are constantly looking at disabled access and all the physical infrastructure we are trying to enhance, bearing in mind have quite an aged estate. However, all of our new-builds are taking on a brand new ethos in terms of design philosophy. We are moving away from dark, enclosed spaces of cellular accommodation - the vision that you have from television and movies of just bars and windows. We have expanded technology with our window design, in terms of composite designs and of providing security but letting in more light. I mention landscaping, and the treatment of outdoor areas as well. It would be remiss of me not to mention the benefit that has and the documented evidence for it from criminal psychologists from Europe that we have tapped into to learn that knowledge base. That has an impact on our design as well.

As the director general earlier commented on, the latest completion of the new female block in Limerick Prison has really eclipsed any other design that we have taken on before. The benefits are going to be huge for society going forward, in terms of that healing environment. The trauma has happened and we want to end the trauma when you come into prison. Even the visual effect of coming into a prison, in terms of the infrastructure, where you see the reception area, we want to move away from bars, and physical impediments for visitors and family members, so they can walk in, and all the mystery is dissolved. They are meeting a prison officer, they are engaging and they are communicating. They can see beyond the prison officer - they can actually see into the foreground of the prison.

The ethos we are looking at is to modernise it, create a healing environment and follow the examples from my colleagues in healthcare and the wider expanse of healthcare design, and use the outcomes of that healing environment in our architectural proposals going forward.