Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I commend him on bringing this Bill forward and for the amount of legislation for which he has been responsible since becoming Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

This is a comprehensive Bill and I welcome its provisions. The question of prison reform is worthy of debate, giving Senators an opportunity to put forward their views on this matter. I served on the visiting committee for the Curragh Prison for a period some years ago. It was an interesting experience as it gave me an opportunity of meeting the governor, officials, staff and prisoners. We were afforded open access as members of the visiting committee. There is no reference to the visiting committees in the Bill so I presume there will be no change in their role.

The visiting committee of a prison prepares an annual report on the general workings of the prison over the period of the inspections. I ask the Minister and his officials to review those reports. This will not be relevant in the case of the Curragh Prison because the Minister has decided to close it down. It was not the most suitable location for a prison as it did not have all the desired facilities which would be available in a new prison.