Results 2,001-2,020 of 7,003 for speaker:James Browne

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: I thank the Chairman and committee members for making time available to consider Supplementary Estimates for the Garda and prison Votes and technical Supplementary Estimates for the courts and justice Votes. I am joined by my officials from the Department, Mr. Seamus Clifford, acting director of finance, and Mr. Aonghus O'Connor, principal officer. A net Supplementary Estimate requirement...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: The teachers are paid for by the Department of Education. No additional funds are required this year and that is why it is not mentioned in the Estimate. Things like the provision of copybooks and so on are provided by the Department of Justice through the Prison Service. I have been in several of the prisons in the last year and I have seen the facilities provided for educational...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: Not in conversations on preparing the Estimates. Obviously, the allocation of staff is a matter for the Prison Service when it is assessing the needs of the different prisons and of prisoners and their particular needs. In terms of the operational matters with the Estimates, that did not come up.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: Sorry.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: I have also visited Limerick. The contrast between the existing women's prison, which to say it is not fit for purpose-----

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: Yes, it is appalling. It is. The new facilities are very much welcome. Limerick, as the Deputy will be aware, takes women from Cork as well. Those facilities are very welcome. The focus has been this year has been on getting that prison open. There will be a focus on other prisons into the new year. One of the reasons for the carryover has been the focus on Limerick in trying to get...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: As I say, Limerick consumed so much of the focus in the past year that it was not possible to execute a number of the other projects. The carryover was not expected. We would have hoped to have used that funding during the year. The reason for the carryover is because of an underspend but we expect within the year to be able to spend the rest of that funding.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: This year, the Irish Prison Service reopened a newly refurbished training unit and place of detention as a centre for older persons in Mountjoy. This has provided an additional 96 prison spaces. That was the other project that was mainly advanced. I would expect the Department will be able to now focus on other projects and advance them as quickly as possibly.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: Certainly, it remains part of the capital programme to advance that as much as is feasible. Obviously, it is up to the Courts Service how they and the judges want to run the courts. There has been, as the Deputy says, a reduction of transport as a result of the use of technology and the use of that technology will continue into the future. Nonetheless, some prisoners have to be...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: That is very important. We saw only a few weeks ago the opening of the new forensic mental health hospital at Portrane. It is a state-of-the-art facility. I visited it. The fact that somebody is in prison should in no way diminish his or her entitlement to appropriate medical healthcare. The forensic mental health hospital will provide just that. We also established in the Department...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: All 96 patients transferred from Dundrum to the National Forensic Mental Health Service Hospital in Portrane. I cannot remember the figures off the top of my head, but I will certainly get them to the Deputy. There are 170 places in total. Ten of them are for children. There are a number of intensive treatment beds in there as well. I think it is another ten. I do not have the figures,...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: It is a consistent comment from all of the services within the Prison Service that it is not possible to give people treatment if they are on less than a one-year prison sentence. That continues to be the situation. The impact is more severe on women. When I travelled around the prison, one of the things I learned that was striking is that men in prison get a significant number of visitors,...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: Yes. It was something I was very conscious of when this aspect was raised with me when I visited the prisons. I know it was the same for the Minister. All I can say at this point is that we are aware of it and it is something that is very much being looked at.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: My understanding is that this system was revamped during Covid-19. It should be possible for most prisoners now to be able to do that, but I will get more detail on this subject for the Chair. This information is not in the Estimates but I will get more detail in this regard.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: Last year, we received an additional €6.7 million for youth diversion projects.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

James Browne: This year, it was an additional €2.5 million. The total, therefore, is €9.2 million. This is coming off a base of approximately €14 million, so there has been a significant increase in the space of two budgets. Our priorities with the youth diversion projects, in respect of the initial funding, is to get-----