asked the Minister for Justice the progress made to date in resolving the problems of major concern to the Prison Officers' Association; the action, if any, that has been taken on the following issues (a) the implementation of the Whitaker Report; (b) the payment to the staff at Mountjoy prison who received no payment for two weeks in November, 1983; (c) general improvements in industrial relations; (d) Portlaoise staff quarters and canteen facilities; (e) general prison accommodation including the serious drug problem within the whole prison system: (f) the current position in relation to Fort Mitchel prison; (g) imposing of fines and the withdrawal of sick pay in the service; and if he will arrange as a matter of urgency to resolve all these matters.
Written Answers. - Prison Service.
The Prison Officers' Association is quite free at any stage to raise problems of concern to it with my Department and, in fact, regular discussions take place between the two sides both informally and through the conciliation and arbitration scheme. The issues raised by the Deputy have been the subject of such discussions and further discussions can be expected to take place in relation to a number of them. In general, the content of discussions of this kind must be regarded as confidential to both parties and it would be inappropriate, especially in the context of good industrial relations, to give details of such discussions on a wide range of issues by way of response to a parliamentary question.
I should point out, however, that the attitude of the Prison Officers' Association is only one of many factors which have to be taken into account in dealing with the kind of issues referred to by the Deputy. For example, any action to be taken in response to the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Penal System is by no means simply a matter to be resolved between my Department and the Association.