asked the Minister for Justice if the recent claim of the Prison Officers' Association has been met and if any issue between the officers and his Department remain unresolved.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Prison Officers' Association Claim.
12.
The Prison Officers' Association, like any other staff association, frequently puts forward claims of greater or lesser dimensions on behalf of some or all of its members. The submission and negotiation of claims is a continuous process and it is never possible to say that an association is fully satisfied with the position at any particular time. On the contrary it appears to be reasonable to assume that a staff association will always have some claim or request on hands. I believe that offers recently made on my behalf in response to a number of requests by the Prison Officers' Association have been reasonable and that they have been welcomed by the association. I reject the suggestion that there is tension between the association and my Department.
Is the Minister aware of recent tension between the association and the Department which resulted in hardship to both the officers and the inmates, the latter who were deprived of certain so-called privileges which they enjoy, if that is the word. Is the Minister in a position to say if the cause of that recent tension or industrial friction or whatever has been dissipated or tackled by the Department to the degree that we will not have the situation where people might be left in their cells for longer than the period they are presently forced to do?
There is no question of tension between the Prison Officers' Association and the Department of Justice. I am sure the Deputy is referring to the recent claim made by the POA on behalf of its members. When an approach is made in regard to any claim there is always that little bit of give and take and tension. I would like to make it clear that there is no tension and to nail down the rumour that there is. I have a letter from the general secretary of the POA dated 21 June 1979. The last paragraph states:
I would like however to express my appreciation on behalf of the membership to the Officers of your Department for bringing about a satisfactory and I hope lasting solution to this most delicate problem.
To what does the Minister attribute the incident to which I referred?
I would say it was rumour.
We are entering into argument.
Why was it apparent that the officers were forced to take industrial action which resulted in the kind of effects I mentioned earlier?
I am sure they were pursuing a claim and living in a time of industrial tension and so on. They were anxious to have their claim processed as quickly as possible. On behalf of the Minister, I should like to thank the Prison Officers' Association for their responsibility and reasonableness in their approach to it.
I am delighted to hear it is all rosy and sunny now.
It is sunshine all the way.
There is a good way to go yet.
It is getting better every day. The news every morning must be crucifying. It is good news for the Government but bad for the Opposition.
It was not such good news for the last three months.