Vol. 468 No. 4
683 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Justice the most recent year for which she has received the annual report on prisons and places of detention and the annual report of the criminal injuries compensation tribunal; when she intends to publish the reports; the proposals if any, she has to speed up preparation and publication of such reports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15845/96]
The annual reports on prisons and places of detention are compiled and published by my Department. The prisons report for 1993 is currently being printed and will be available shortly. The compilation of the statistics in respect of 1994 and 1995 is in progress. However, as I already indicated to the House, I recently decided that the written elements of the reports for those years, which include the main developments in the prisons service, the reports of the Visiting Committees and the various prison services, will be published separately. I plan to have these interim reports ready for publication later this year. The statistical tables would then be published as soon as possible afterwards.
The lack of comprehensive information technology in the prisons has inhibited the preparation of the statistical elements of the prison reports. The work of updating prison information technology, which will include the ability to provide the required statistical reporting, is currently under review.
Annual reports of the criminal injuries compensation tribunal for the years 1993 and 1994 have been presented to me and those for the years 1990 to 1992 to my predecessor. Arrangements are in hand for the presentation of these reports to the Houses of the Oireachtas and their publication at an early date. Steps are being taken to ensure that the preparation of the tribunal's annual report and its presentation to the Minister and Oireachtas does not fall into arrears in future years.
