Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is an important Bill. We have a prison in Castlerea, which is in my constituency. It was one of the only towns in the country that campaigned to have a prison. The prison is very well run. The proposal to have an open prison in a house near Castlerea is a matter of concern to the general public in the area. I had a first meeting in the Prison Service building last Monday with the director general of the Prison Service and the governor of the Castlerea Prison. We wanted those fears allayed and an assurance that the necessary precautions would be taken and assessments would be made if prisoners were moved from Castlerea Prison to Harristown House. What is good about a democracy and an open government is that one can bring the fears of the people to light and they can be teased out in a normal manner. A public meeting will held in Castlerea tonight which will be attended by all Oireachtas Members from the area and also by members of the Prison Service to answer whatever questions people have, and I hope that will be done.

I thank Deputy Durkan for his sharing his time. The provision in respect of convictions that are not considered spent when people apply for certain licences such as taxi licences and private security licences is very appropriate.

The convictions, however, should be spent after a period. I welcome the Bill.

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