Joe O'Toole (Independent)

Indeed. These things are better left to the experts, however, I would like to hear why, with such goodwill on both sides, a resolution to the problem cannot be found or why it cannot be dealt with by a third party. It seems that people are taking strong positions unnecessarily and that we are walking ourselves into trouble, which we do not need to do.

People talk about the closure of some of the prisons and Spike Island is one that comes to mind. Spike Island is a very successful prison and there is a huge educational and rehabilitative element in much of what it is doing. It would be a huge loss to the system.