Vol. 468 No. 4
668 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Justice the reason there is no committal assessment procedure in place in Mountjoy Prison in view of the fact that this was a key recommendation of the 1991 Report on Prison Deaths; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15799/96]
Medical examination is a key element in committal assessment and such examination should take place as soon as possible after committal. GPs attend the prison on a daily basis, usually in the mornings, when they examine all new committals. The issue of evening attendance at the prison is under review by the director of prison medical services in consultation with the GPs who attend at the prison and in the context of negotiations on a common contract for prison doctors with the Irish Medical Organisation which represents the prison doctors.
The recommendation cited by the Deputy included the provision of a special building devoted solely to dealing with offenders in the initial days of their imprisonment. The Government has decided to provide such a building in the proposed new remand-dispersal centre at Wheatfield.
