Dan Neville
Question:200 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress, if any, in implementing the recommendations of the advisory group on prison deaths published in August 1991. [25534/99]
Written Answers. - Prison Deaths.
The advisory group on prison deaths made 57 recommendations in its report published in August 1991.
In May 1996 the Minister for Justice established the national steering group on deaths in custody. One of the terms of reference of the steering group was to look at the recommendations contained in the report of the advisory group on prison deaths. The national steering group met on 14 occasions between June 1996 and February 1998 and published its report in May 1999. It found that of the 57 recommendations in the report of the advisory group on prison deaths, 34 were fully implemented, 15 were partially implemented and eight longer term recommendations were not fully implemented.
Since the publication of the report of the national steering group in May 1999, work has continued on three fronts to further the implementation of the outstanding recommendations. These are in the prisons building programme, the recruitment of additional staff for both the probation and welfare service and the psychology service and the review of the prison medical services. In addition, 23 nurses have been recruited to date with further recruitment due later this month.
The national steering group on deaths in custody made a further 12 recommendations which are being pursued as a matter of urgency by the Director General of the Prison Service.
At the invitation of the Minister, the national steering group on deaths in custody continues to meet on a regular basis to monitor the progress of its recommendations and to advise the Minister on any changes which it considers may be necessary to the recommendations. The group also acts as a co-ordinating group for the local suicide awareness groups in each institution and as such provides a forum for collating the reports of the local groups and to disseminate significant findings and lessons learned through the prison system. It has recently organised a forum for these groups to discuss its findings and agree appropriate actions to reduce the risk of death or self-injury to inmates of the institutions.