Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I am glad to have the opportunity to say a few words on the motion and congratulate my colleagues on the Independent benches on introducing the subject for debate. It is one of the regrettable features of politics here that the Government always says "Yes" and the Opposition "No" or vice versa. When I saw the text of the motion tabled by Senator Henry and her colleagues I wondered why the Government would oppose it. Unfortunately, in tabling the standard amendment full of platitudes and aspirations, some of which are positive, it has chosen to do so.

The question we must ask when reflecting on the report of the Inspector of Prisons is whether the Government's promises will ever come to anything. Prisons and prisoners are sensitive issues. Politicians have, however, a duty to ensure that those imprisoned in any of the prisons throughout the State are treated decently and humanely. Prison is not simply a place of punishment but, more important, a place of rehabilitation.

A recent discussion by the sub-committee on human rights of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs on the issue of prisoners overseas was raised on the Order of Business this morning. The sub-committee was particularly concerned about conditions faced by Irish prisoners overseas. The Government and Departments of Foreign Affairs and Justice, Equality and Law Reform must take up some of the issues raised in this area. Before lecturing some of our European partners, particularly Britain, about the treatment of Irish prisoners held in their prisons, we must put our own house in order.

When one reads and reflects on the first annual report of the Inspector of Prisons and his correspondence with the Minister, one is forced to recognise that we have a long way to go. It is interesting to note Mr. Justice Kinlen's comment that his report "may make disturbing reading". He also states the public should realise the "problems of poverty, ignorance, homelessness and particularly drug addiction". This debate should focus on how we address these four issues.

It is not politically popular to show concern for prisoners. At at time when law and order continues — correctly — to be a major public issue, there is never an outcry about the plight of prisoners and the conditions in which they are held. These issues are part of the equation, however, because if we convict persons for criminal offences and sentence them to terms of imprisonment, we should aspire to ensure that, having served their term in prison, they will have reformed to the maximum possible extent. Unfortunately, given the lack of facilities, resources and adequate training in many of our places of detention, the hope of rehabilitating many of our prisoners is wasted. This debate must focus on how we can respond in a meaningful way to the report and ensure its recommendations are implemented and genuine progress is made before the second, third and subsequent annual reports are published.

As an independent work, the report of the Inspector of Prisons can be accepted by every party in the House. In this context, the Government amendment must be viewed as a political response, as is the way of all Governments. Nevertheless, we must recognise that every political party and all recent Governments have been responsible for the current plight of prisoners and the state of our prisons. This degree of shared responsibility is the reason we should be mature enough to accept this worthy motion, which simply notes with disappointment that few of the recommendations of the inspector's first report have been implemented.

Reading page after page of the report's general recommendations, it is clear they all make common sense and are impossible to oppose. I hope the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, who is not afraid to be politically different and courageous when necessary, will try to ensure the recommendations will be implemented. It would not mark a climbdown on the law and order front or be a sign of weakness on the part of the Minister or Government if they were to choose to treat prisoners in a fair and humane manner.

The most prominent issue in the minds of the public is the replacement of Mountjoy Prison. We all welcome this development and hope to see progress on it at the earliest possible date. In all the State's prisons, of which Limerick, Cork and Portlaoise Prisons are the best known, improvements are needed in terms of staffing, facilities, counselling and resources. As the inspector stated, the issue of drugs, in particular, must be to the fore of our deliberations. It is difficult to accept that drugs can be so freely available to the prison population or to appreciate that we have yet to introduce a proper system of drug enforcement in our prisons. In addition to the requirement to address prisoners' access to drugs, we must increase the resources allocated to trying to deal with the drug habit of prisoners. Clearly, it is preferable to deal simultaneously with the symptoms of the problem rather than tackling the availability of drugs alone. This and many other recommendations are contained in the report.

I reiterate my support for the motion, which every fair-minded representative would accept. I compliment the independent Inspector of Prisons, Mr. Justice Kinlen, for presenting such a substantial report in a very readable fashion, it should be on the desks of all Oireachtas Members. If we insist on everything in the report being put in place, not only will our prisons be better places for prisoners, society will benefit in the long run because those unfortunate enough to end up in prison will come out in much better shape and be much less likely to re-offend.