Fiach MacConghail (Independent)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an dochtúir go dtí an Teach agus gabhaim buíochas leis as ucht an aitheasc a thug sé dúinn a bhí an-eolach ar fad.

Dr. Manning's presence is a direct response to Seanad reform. I commend my fellow Senators, the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, the Leader of the House and Dr. Manning. The debate we are having is a learning process.

As a new Senator I do not claim to know everything. Being in the presence of members of civic society, in particular those involved in human rights, is an important learning curve for me. I welcome Rosie McDonagh who ran in the Seanad election and is present.

I echo a question asked by Senators Bacik and Burke on prison conditions. The Irish Penal Reform Trust reports that Ireland's prison population has doubled since 1997 and overcrowding has contributed to an increase in violence between prisoners. Ireland's Civil Society Stakeholder UPR report, Your Rights. Right Now, which was mentioned, recommends the development of alternatives to custody for the punishment of minor offences and immediate steps to tackle the problem of overcrowding. It also recommends the provision of adequate sanitary facilities in all prisons, including in-cell sanitation, to ensure the end of the inhuman and degrading practice of slopping out. As president of the Irish Human Rights Commission, Dr. Manning has called for a voluntary commitment from Government on these issues in advance of the UPR. The abolition of the practice of slopping out has been on the agenda of Governments since 1993, yet little progress has been made. The Minister, Deputy Shatter, at a recent Irish Penal Reform Trust lecture, highlighted the need for human rights principles in prison policy. What does Dr. Manning think a human rights based approach to prison policy would look like and is it achievable?