Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue, which is very topical given the publication yesterday in the public domain of the prison inspector's report and the facts that there is to be a referendum on children's rights, that we are to amend adoption legislation and that we are waiting to process the Children First legislation. I join the Minister in complimenting the Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention, Judge Michael Reilly, on his work on the report. It is fair to say he went about that work in a dedicated and fearless manner, turning up unannounced continually to get to the bottom of many of the matters referred to in the report. It is noteworthy that he spoke not only to prisoners and prison officers, but also to service providers and management. He informed himself quite widely on the issues outlined.

We all agree the report is fairly damning. It outlines some very serious issues and their consequences. It is noteworthy that what is contained in the report is at complete variance with the mission statement of the Irish Prison Service, which was to provide safe, secure and humane custody for people who are sent to prison. The mission statement of the Irish Prison Service has now been amended to include the dignity of care for the people entrusted to the service.

For the sake of completeness, let me quote some brief extracts from the report. The inspector states:

[T]he detention of children in St. Patricks should end as a matter of urgency. It is my view that the timeline for ending the detention of children (May 2014) should be revisited.

In essence, the report states children's human rights were violated and that children were maltreated, degraded and abused.

We all agree this is not a political issue. It concerns the management of the Prison Service as well as the staff members who perpetrated these acts.

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