Vol. 563 No. 1
501 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 446 of 25 February 2003, if the therapeutic service providers in Portlaoise recommended that the prisoners referred to should be transferred from Portlaoise Prison on medical grounds. [7153/03]
While medical and therapeutic factors are very important issues in assessing a transfer application, I must also have regard to other relevant factors such as the nature of the offence, which in this case was linked to subversive activity, and the individual's subsequent prison security status.
While the visiting consultant psychiatrist in Portlaoise Prison has supported this person's transfer to the open centre at Shelton Abbey, it is also the case that the medical director of the Irish Prison Service has advised of his concerns about such a move given that Shelton Abbey does not have provision for a scheduled psychiatric service. As a general rule, it is not considered appropriate to accommodate prisoners who need psychiatric support in an open centre and therefore prisoners with current psychiatric health issues are not transferred to such a location. The medical director is also of the view that Portlaoise Prison is a more appropriate location for this man from a health care viewpoint as it is better suited to provide appropriate treatment for his problems.
