Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I have a question on the designated prison officer. Can I take it from a reading of the Bill that this provision refers to a prison officer of any rank, or does it relate to a specific rank? Is there predesignation? In other words, on the passing of the legislation will it be incumbent upon a prison officer in a prison institution to have an appropriate number of designated officers or will this be done on an ad hoc basis? For example, if an officer was to move away, could he or she make a designation on the day, who could be anyone from the prison staff, without reference to order or rank?

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