Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

To be historical, prison rules provide for wine and so on to be sent to certain classes of prisoners. Those rules have fallen into desuetude and will be brought to an end, as the new prison rules will prohibit alcohol. There are good reasons for this, as alcohol in prisons affects the security and safety of prisoners seriously, starts rows and so on.

While I take Deputy Ó Snodaigh's point about hooch, it is an urban myth cultivated to cover up the fact that alcohol is smuggled into prisons. In those circumstances, it is easier to say that someone was drunk due to something he or she did in prison instead of saying that smuggling had taken place. The definition of "governor" in section 2 of the Act means the governor of a prison or an officer acting on his or her behalf. It means there is not a lacuna if the governor is on holidays. I do not want to say much here about the use of phones for the purpose of directing crime, but will talk privately to the Deputy afterwards. I am absolutely satisfied, however, that this is not an unreal threat, but I will not go further than that.

Mobile phones——

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