Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I join Senator Cummins in complimenting the Minister and his staff. This Bill introduces significant and substantive prison reform. The provision for inquiries into breaches of discipline is timely. The Minister is right to try to eradicate drugs from our prisons, but that may lead to discipline problems until the systems to deal with it are up and running.

The provisions of the Bill also demonstrate the Minister's propensity to be accountable. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission is up and running and I welcome that we will now have a clear say with regard to the construction or extension of prisons. This is good and will help the democratic process.

I also welcome the initiation of inspectors and video links etc. The Bill provides for many improvements in the prison system. In many ways it illustrates the significant amount of work on the part of the Minister and those in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform that goes into reforming the Minister's wide remit. I thank him for bringing the Bill before the Seanad.