Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Bill to the House. His predecessor, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue, began a modernisation programme for prisons and got so far. I am glad the Minister is carrying it forward and is determined to establish humane and modern conditions in our prisons. No Member wants prisoners living in Victorian institutions which, every year, are criticised by prison visiting committees as being substandard. This programme is part of an important reform process.

Until I heard the Minister's speech, I had reservations about the Bill. I would not have been happy if prisoner escorts were to be outsourced and not done by the Prison Service. However, the Minister said his negotiations, although long and protracted, with the Prison Officers Association have been successfully concluded and it is not his intention to activate that provision, provided agreements are carried out in the future.

The Minister has grasped the nettle of prison officers' work practices, conditions, and overtime pay. It was necessary and I am glad that, with the tacit support of most parties in this House, he has brought this to a successful conclusion. It is more efficient for short hearings to be done by video conferencing without the paraphernalia associated with bringing people under escort from Portlaoise for a several minute hearing in Dublin. This obviously uses up an enormous amount of resources. For proper court hearings such escorts are necessary but they are not for brief formal hearings.

I applaud the Minister's aspiration to remove drugs from prisons while accepting the practicality of such an exercise will be extremely difficult. There are two attitudes to this question. I pick up, subliminally, an attitude that there should be a liberal tolerance towards drugs in prisons. I am not of that view and agree with the Minister. We have been somewhat lax on this matter over several years, allowing the problem to grow. This matter is part of the justification for a greenfield site.

I endorse Senator Brady's comments on ensuring the historical dimensions of Mountjoy Prison are catered for. One of the greatest visitor attractions in Dublin is Kilmainham Gaol, a well run site. I draw the Minister's attention to the fact that Spike Island also has significant historical connotations. A few pages in John Mitchel's Jail Journal are given over to it. I ask him to ensure its historic parts are preserved in some way.

The only regrettable thing about the move away from Mountjoy is that there is a modern women's prison there which cost a significant amount in Government funding. I am sure the Minister and the Government have taken this into account in making a balanced decision to move to a new site. The value of the land is such that the State will not lose money in real terms but it is a matter of some regret that a modern facility built so recently may be discarded.

There has been much controversy involving the Minister and RTE about the value of the new site being €30 million for 260 acres.