Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 15 February 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

Scrutiny of Prisons (Solitary Confinement) (Amendment) Bill 2016: Discussion

9:00 am

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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For member's information, while we are addressing both of these Bills in the context of the list of Private Member's Bills, it is nevertheless a component part of aggressive penal reform, which is the contracted title of our current series of hearings which we decided on last week. We are now in a position to confirm the schedule of engagements. Deputy O'Callaghan mentioned the Prison Service. I am happy to advise, if members wish to note, I do not know if this has been circulated yet, but on 22 February the meeting will be of the select committee. I will come back to that.

In regard to our sequence of engagements on penal reform, the joint committee will have a discussion with the Victims' Rights Alliance on Wednesday, 1 March 2017. That follows last week's engagement with the Irish Penal Reform Trust. On the following Wednesday, 8 March the joint committee will have discussions, and this has been confirmed, with the Prison Service and the Probation Service. We will conclude our engagement on Wednesday, 22 March when the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice and the Prison Officers Association will come before us in separate tranches on that day.

As Deputy O'Callaghan has said we will have the opportunity to address some of the matters to the Irish Prison Service on 8 March.