Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Question 56: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of times he meets with the Inspector of Prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21549/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the Office of the Inspector is a statutorily independent body provided for in legislation by Part 5 of the Prison Act, 2007. The Inspector's function is to carry out regular inspections of prisons and in exercise of his functions he may at any time enter any prison or place of detention. The current Inspector of Prisons, Judge Michael Reilly, took up his appointment in January 2008. In his Interim Report, following his appointment, the Inspector stated that his tenure would be characterised by independence and fairness. In keeping with the independence of the Office as and when the Inspector considers it necessary to meet with me I am happy, where practicable, to facilitate such meetings. I can also confirm that my Department has a policy of meeting informally with the Inspector at regular intervals throughout the year to appraise him of key developments in penal policy and to ensure that we are kept abreast of any issues or concerns he may have about the effective operation of the prison system.