Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issues that were highlighted on last night's "RTÉ Investigates" documentary on our prison services. We have not completed the Mental Health Bill, but this documentary raised a whole load of very serious questions about mental health in this country, how we are coping with it and how we throughout the State have aided and abetted and literally threw people out into what they call "community care". Many of them have now found themselves in our prison services. The "RTÉ Investigates" team needs to be commended on what was a very informative investigation. Part one was last night and part two is yet to come. It clearly demonstrated the surge of actively psychotic patients held in prisons across this country. It is exceptionally frightening. We saw personal testimony of people who spoke about their sons, daughters, brothers and sisters who are in these institutions and are not getting the appropriate medical interventions they need. We need to have a serious examination of how this is going on and how we are going to remedy the situation.

Every week there are documents laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. This is done for a purpose. Many of those are commitments in legislation requiring the relevant Minister to lay documents before the Houses. I can confirm that last week on 4 February 2026, the inspector's report "Follow-up inspection: Mountjoy Prison, 28 April 2025 - 2 May 2025" was laid before the Houses. I commend our Chief Inspector of Prisons, Mr. Mark Kelly on his report. It is a damning report, illustrated with photographs, statements of fact and recommendations. I appeal to the Leader. This document was laid before the Houses and I am asking for an urgent debate on this specific document. It was only laid on 4 February but it is important that we would have it. I specifically request that we would have the Minister for justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, in to detail, analyse and talk about the issues and the findings in this report.