Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 May 1993

Vol. 430 No. 4

Written Answers. - Attendance of Prisoners at Hospitals.

Jim Mitchell

Question:

103 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to the alarm and concern caused to other in-patients at the Mater Hospital, Dublin 7, by the practice of transferring from Mountjoy Prison prisoners with drug addiction and suffering from resultant illness; if her attention has further been drawn to the fact that there have been scenes of violence involving iron bars and syringes, which were used to threaten staff members and other patients; if, under the circumstances, she will give details of the steps she is prepared to take to change this policy of transferring prisoners to wards which has the effect of making other patients feel threatened or have resulted in their actually being threatened; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Justice (Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn):

Prisoners are brought under escort on a daily basis to the Mater Hospital and other hospitals for out-patient and in-patient medical services which are not available within our places of custody. The vast bulk of these escorts occur without any difficulty. There was an incident in the Mater Hospital on 11 April, which may have prompted the Deputy's question. The prisoner was quickly removed from the hospital and returned to custody. This was an isolated incident. The procedures governing the attendance of offenders at hospitals are working well but they are kept under continuous review.