Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I do not accept any accusation of arrogance concerning the Dóchas Centre. As I said at the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, the Dóchas issue sticks out like a sore thumb. If one looks at the percentage of bed capacity over an extended period, there is gross overcapacity at the Dóchas Centre, over which I am not prepared to stand. Many of the measures advocated in the Baroness Corston report are being implemented in the centre. It has a successful regime which will be transferred to the Thornton Hall site. It must be remembered that the Corston report was prompted by suicide rates in the UK prison system. Suicide is not as prevalent among the Irish female prison population.

I would a hazard a guess that the former and current Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention — the late Mr. Justice Kinlen and Judge Michael Reilly — would accept that the regime proposed for the Thornton Hall site represents an acceptable way of providing extra capacity in the prisons. The Government is not prepared to stand over a position where there will be a revolving door in the prisons, as was exactly the case when Deputy Burton's party was in government. Then 20% of the prison population were on temporary release. The Government is not prepared to accept this.

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