Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is because the reports of the Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention which I am sure the Deputy has read call for immediate action to deal with complaints within the prison system. To put it bluntly, writing to the Ombudsman, causing reports to be made and involving inspectors, is a long-term process. What is recommended is the immediacy of a complaints system to deal with allegations of racial and physical abuse and other complaints. That is what the Minister for Justice and Equality will provide for. Providing such a system does not amount to duplication. If it does not prove satisfactory, we could have a further appeals mechanism in the future. People will see having a proper independent evaluation, external of the Irish Prison Service, of any allegation of wrongdoing within the prison service as a necessity in a modern democracy.

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