Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)

They were aware. Okay, I was not aware of that.

I want to jump ahead because I only have a little bit of time. Ms Brady talked about the use of pepper sprays in prisons and mentioned the connection between overcrowding in prisons. There is no way pepper spray should be used to deal with overcrowding in prisons. At present, the submission says most of the prisons average at 117% capacity. We have Oberstown youth detention centre which is always at full capacity, with only space for 40 boys there. Could pepper spray be used, under this legislation, in Oberstown and youth detention centres?

I got a response to a recent parliamentary question on people suffering from psychosis within the prison system. They are simply in the prison system because there is not enough capacity in the Central Mental Hospital. I think there are 18 beds that are still not opened. Under this legislation, could pepper spray be used against this vulnerable group? In Wales one in three instances of the use of pepper spray in the prisons was unwarranted and not needed. Is there anything in this legislation that would protect that?