Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 June 2005
480 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he has taken to ensure that the CONNECT project resumes operation as soon as possible; if the project is on course for extension to all prisons by 2006 as originally proposed by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20761/05]
View answerThe CONNECT project was launched in 2000 as part of the Irish Prison Service's training and development programme. The project was established in Mountjoy Prison, the Dóchas Centre and the training unit with the support of the National Training and Development Institute, NTDI. A process of internal review during 2002, prompted a refocusing of the project prior to its roll-out to further institutions. In particular, the review identified the need for new management structures so as to better support the project's sentence management processes in the delivering institutions. The review process inevitably impacted on the target dates in the original roll-out schedule. While the CONNECT project is being extended to Limerick Prison, the projects at Mountjoy Prison, the Dóchas Centre and the training unit have been affected by the current industrial relations and financial restrictions.
These will resume operations, if and when, there is a successful outcome to the current industrial relations process with the Prison Officers Association, POA. As the Deputy will be aware, the members of the POA recently rejected the proposal for organisational change in the prison service. In the current circumstances, therefore, it is not envisaged that the refocused CONNECT project will be extended to all prisons by the originally envisaged target date of the end of 2006.
