Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join with previous speakers in complimenting and congratulating Judge Reilly on his report. I also congratulate the Minister, Deputy Shatter, for taking swift and serious action on the shortcomings in the Prison Service since he came to office. I understand that in his first week in office he visited St. Patrick?s Institution. We were all horrified at the level of shortcomings that were highlighted in the report such as the weak management structures and the culture of bullying among a minority of prison officers.

As previous speakers have said, we should not lose sight of the difficult working conditions in the prison system in which prison officers operate. We cannot under any circumstances accept a culture of bullying among staff within the system. What is most worrying is that there appears to have been a culture of indifference within the Department of Justice and Equality. The comments this morning by Emily Logan on how she was treated in respect of the issue are worrying and deserving of debate. I support the strong call by Senator Hayden for an inquiry into the conditions in St. Patrick?s Institution.

I very much welcome the fact that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, plans in the near future to introduce roadside testing of drivers for drugs. There is growing evidence that a large number of people are driving under the influence of cannabis and other illegal substances. It seems ludicrous not to have a facility in place to test drivers for illegal substances at the roadside in the same way as they can be tested for alcohol.