asked the Minister for Justice the number of places of detention in the Republic; the number of such places in respect of which visiting committees' reports were published in each of the years 1973 to 1977; and the number which do not have visiting committees in accordance with the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act, 1925.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Places of Detention.
2.
The number of prisons and places of detention administered by my Department is ten. They are as follows: Mountjoy, Limerick, Cork, Arbour Hill, Portlaoise Prisons, the Training Unit, Shelton Abbey open centre for adults, St. Patrick's institution and the open centres for young offenders at Shanganagh Castle and Loughan House. The Training Unit and Shelton Abbey have been brought within the scope of the Prisons Acts comparatively recently and the number of persons accommodated in them has been small. For these reasons the need for visiting committees to these institutions was not pressing. I intend, however, to appoint visiting committees for 1978.
All seven visiting committees then in existence furnished annual reports for 1973, 1974 and 1975. Visiting committees had not been appointed to Shelton Abbey, the Training Unit or Arbour Hill Prison which opened in June, 1975.
Eight visiting committees furnished annual reports for 1976—all except Shelton Abbey and the Training Unit.