asked the Minister for Justice if he is now in a position to state if the reprint, in a consolidated form, of the Prison Rules and Regulations, prepared by his Department more than a year ago, will be made available in the Oireachtas Library and to the public in the immediate future; and if he will also state the reasons for the delay of more than a year in having this volume of rules printed and published.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Prison Rules and Regulations.
The corrected proofs of the rules are at present with the printer and I understand that the final print may be expected in a month or so. It will take the form of a Statutory Order, copies of which will be laid on the Table of the House. As is suggested in the question, the material for a reprint of the existing rules in consolidated form was completed more than a year ago. A mere reprint would, however, have necessitated close adherence to the text of the existing rules, which frequently called for modernisation and improvement. It was, therefore, thought better to have the text redrafted by the Parliamentary draftsman as a Statutory Order in modern form. This occupied a considerable time. The balance of the delay was due to printing difficulties.