Visiting Committee members are appointed for a period of three years by the Minister for Justice and Equality under the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act 1925 and Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order 1925. There are fourteen Visiting Committees in existence – one for each institution.
Each Visiting Committee now comprises no more than six members, and only suitable people with a genuine interest in prison issues are appointed. There are currently 23 vacancies which I am in the process of filling.
I have made 61 appointments to Prison Visiting Committees since March, 2011. It is not possible to provide details in relation to the number of those appointees living within 50km of the relevant institution but I can confirm that the majority live in the vicinity of the institution to which they are assigned. Information is not retained either on whether individuals are or are not political party members or activists.
A per diem payment at a current rate of €142.50 per visit or meeting, which is subject to tax, is paid to Visiting Committee members. Members are also entitled to claim vouched travel expenses of €30 per visit. While numbers fluctuate at any given time, there were 74 Visiting Committee members at the end of 2012 while total expenditure paid out had amounted to €143,457.80.
