asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that Mr. Seán McCaughey, a prisoner under sentence in Portlaoighise Prison, has been on hunger strike for some time; that he is in a critical physical condition, and that it is feared by his friends that he is in imminent danger of death; whether he has obtained a report from the prison authorities regarding the circumstances out of which the hunger strike has arisen, and from the prison doctor regarding this prisoner's present condition; whether, if such reports have been received, he will state the date on which each report was made and indicate its terms; whether, if no such reports have been received, he will cause an immediate inquiry to be made into the origin of the hunger strike and into the state of Mr. McCaughey's health; whether the prisoner's relatives, who reside in Northern Ireland, have been informed recently as to the condition of his health and offered facilities to see him, and, if not, whether it is intended that, in view of the urgency of the matter, this will be done at once.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Prisoner on Hunger Strike.
asked the Minister for Justice whether he has received a petition, addressed to the Taoiseach, and signed by several members of Dáil Eireann and Seanad Eireann on the subject of the hunger strike of Mr. Seán McCaughey in Portlaoighise Prison; and whether he will make a statement on the hunger strike, and also on the steps taken by him on receipt of the petition.
I propose to take questions Nos. 27 and 28 together.
On 16th April this prisoner handed a message to the prison governor in the following terms:—
"To whom it may concern.
"Sir,
"This is to notify you that unless I am released before Friday, 19th instant, I will be compelled to go on hunger-strike until I am."
On the following day the prisoner was informed that he would not be released. He was warned then, and on subsequent occasions, of the consequences to himself should he go on hunger-strike. He refused food as from 19th April and he refused liquids as from 24th April.
I receive a daily report as to the prisoner's state of health. The prison medical officer examines him twice in each day and a trained male nurse is in constant attendance day and night. The prisoner has also been examined by the medical adviser to the prison service and by the surgeon attached to the local county hospital.
On 26th April the governor informed the prisoner's relatives in Belfast by telegram that he was seriously ill and that they might visit him. They have done so on a number of occasions. He has also been visited by the prison chaplains and by members of the visiting committee.
On the question of release, I would refer Deputies to the statement made in this House by the Taoiseach on 9th July, 1943, in reply to appeals of the same kind as have been made in the present case. The Taoiseach dealt fully with the question and referred to the deplorable consequences which had ensued when such appeals had been yielded to on a previous occasion, and he stated, in the clearest and most emphatic terms, that, in future, prisoners on hunger strike would not be released. "That," he said, "is definite and final."
What object has the Minister in deliberately bringing about this situation?
Mr. Boland
I have brought no situation about—none whatever.
Is the Minister aware that, when McCaughey's sister went to see him last Monday, she found that he was using a very dirty rag to wipe his mouth and that, when she gave him her handkerchief, it was taken from him by a warder? Is he aware of that having taken place in Portlaoighise? It is no wonder prisoners are going on hunger strike.
Mr. Boland
This prisoner gets the best attention he can get in the circumstances. Everybody may be satisfied on that. The very best attention it is possible to give this man in the circumstances, he has got.
Is the Minister aware that he is lying there without a shirt?
Is the Minister further aware that this prisoner is lying on a piece of dirty sack? Do the Government consider that any citizen ought to be treated in that way under a Christian Government?
Mr. Boland
I cannot allow that statement to pass. That is not true.
In view of the importance of the matter, I propose to raise it on the Adjournment.
Is the Minister willing to appoint a committee to inquire into the conditions existing in Portlaoighise prison?
What objection has the Minister to Deputies visiting the prison?
That is a separate question.
Does the Minister propose to set up a committee of the House to inquire into conditions there?
That is a separate question.
Is the Minister prepared to let Deputies have a look around the place?