Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know I usually organise soccer matches, but this week, there will be a GAA match. I thank politicians for their participation all year when I have reached out to them to do community events with me, whether in the prison or in the community. It helps to break down barriers. Sometimes, we think of other groups without really knowing about them because we have never really spent any time around them. In the last few years, we have played against teams with players who have struggled with addiction or mental health issues throughout their lives. We have played in Tallaght and Mountjoy. We played in an inner city youth centre once. This week, we will play in Mountjoy again. We were beaten terribly in the last soccer match. I hope all those rural people who had greater access to the GAA than most Dublin folk might win us back some sort of title this week.

On the topic of prison, and men within the prison system, I ask the Leader for statements on prison reform early in the new year. Many politicians who play this week will have an opportunity to engage with the men and to hear about their lives, hopes, aspirations, what they want for the future, and how difficult that transition can be from prison back into life, as well as the isolation, institutionalisation and hardship that can go with that. Maybe in the new year, we can mark our engagement with them this year with some statements on prison reform.