Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator McDowell raised an issue which is somewhat related to what we discussed regarding psychiatric problems among prisoners. There is a distinction to be made between mainstream prisons, where prisoners go in and experience psychiatric problems, and the Central Mental Hospital, where prisoners go in having been found guilty as a result of their mental illness. There is a distinction to be made and it is probably an interesting discussion to have. I do not know as much as Senator McDowell does about Thornton Hall but we could discuss the issue with the Minister for Justice and Equality. The Minister spends much time in this House discussing one particular issue, as the Senator knows, and I am sure he would welcome the opportunity to speak in the House about something other than the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017. That discussion is one we could prioritise.