Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 May 1942

Vol. 86 No. 11

Committee on Finance. - Vote 34—Prisons.

Minister for Justice (Mr. Boland)

I move:—

Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £64,050 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1943, chun Costaisí Príosún, na Fundúireachta Borstal, agus cothabhála na nGealt gCuirpthe a coinnítear in Ospidéil Mheabhar-Ghalar Cheanntair (17 agus 18 Vict., c. 76; 34 agus 35 Vict., c. 112, a. 6; 40 agus 41 Vict., c. 49; 47 agus 48 Vict., c. 36; 61 agus 62 Vict., c. 60; 1 Edw. 7, c. 17, a. 3; 8 Edw. 7, c. 59; agus 4 agus 5 Geo. 5, c. 58).

That a sum not exceeding £64,050 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1943, for the Expenses of Prisons, the Borstal Institution, and the maintenance of Criminal Lunatics confined in District Mental Hospitals (17 and 18 Vict., c. 76; 34 and 35 Vict., c. 112, sec. 6; 40 and 41 Vict., c. 49; 47 and 48 Vict., c. 36; 61 and 62 Vict., c. 60; 1 Edw. 7, c. 17, sec. 3; 8 Edw. 7, c. 59; and 4 and 5 Geo. 5, c. 58).

General MacEoin

There is one point which I want to raise, and I am going to raise it on the question of prisoners. I have received a complaint that when a prisoner in, let us say, X., is written to by some of his relatives to do something, that letter is censored by the competent authority, but, unfortunately, before it reaches the prisoner it is censored by somebody else. I think the Minister should take particularly good care, where the responsible officers decide that a letter contains something which should not be brought to the notice of others, that there is some method by which that letter can get to the prisoner without any third party or any fourth party seeing it. I am satisfied that if that course were adopted the number of prisoners might reasonably be substantially reduced.

Mr. Boland

I do not quite understand the Deputy's point.

General MacEoin

I will put it this way. The governor in charge, we will call him, censors the letter in the ordinary way, but there is an O.C. of the prisoners themselves——

Mr. Boland

The Deputy is referring to political prisoners now?

General MacEoin

The only way I can raise the matter is with regard to prisoners generally; the Minister is responsible for the well-being of all. I can only put it this way: the O.C. of those particular prisoners then censors the letter, and if he does not approve of the letter the prisoner does not get it.

Mr. Boland

I would be surprised if that were the case.

General MacEoin

I can tell the Minister that that is what is happening.

Mr. Boland

I will inquire into that. It is a matter for the Minister for Defence.

General MacEoin

The competent authority passes the thing as being all right, or censors whatever is felt to be detrimental. The letter then goes somewhere else and is censored. Then, if that other person thinks the prisoner should not get it, he does not get it.

Mr. Boland

I will look into that matter.

Vote put and agreed to.