andMr. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice the criteria used by him in relation to appointments to visiting committees of places of penal servitude; and if he is satisfied that he is taking every step to ensure that these criteria are being implemented.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Prison Visiting Committees.
13.
In common with my predecessors in office I have selected persons whom I consider to be generally suitable for appointment. I may add that the fact that I have not reappointed some persons, like Deputy Keating, who were appointed by my immediate predecessor does not mean that I consider them unsuitable.
I appreciate that and neither do I consider the Minister unsuitable for his job.
Although the Deputy would like to see him out of it.
In the interests of democracy would the Minister not consider it proper that in cases where representatives of political parties are appointed to boards such as these, all the political parties should be represented?
More than anybody else the Deputy should know that people appointed to boards such as these are not appointed because of their being public representatives or members of any political party.
I accept that but is there not a striking coincidence regarding those people who were purged when their term of office expired at the end of last year and the people who replaced them and who seemed disproportionately to be from the party of which the Minister is a member, while those who were purged seemed to come from parties on this side of the House.
I am sure the Minister will not object to it being put in that way.
I reject that there was any purge whatever. The Deputy need look no further than the Deputy immediately behind him, who is a member of a visiting committee. Perhaps the Deputy is talking about 1973, not 1977.
Is the Minister aware that at present there are boards such as the one involved in the question which do not have representatives of the total political spectrum as they always had in the past? There were representatives of all political parties on visiting committees and for the first time this is no longer the case. There seem to be omissions.
The persons selected are persons whom I consider to be genuinely suitable.
I am not denying that.
What is the Minister's position in relation to the question which I asked his predecessor, that Members of the Oireachtas should be given some visiting rights in relation to prisons? Has the Minister any position on that? As public representatives, in what way can we have access to prisons?
I am sure the Deputy is aware that Members of the Oireachtas have no statutory rights with regard to visiting prisons: If the Deputy will give me notice of that question I will deal with it as fully as possible.
When the Minister says that political affiliation does not entitle a person to be on a committee, may I take it that it does not entitle him to be dismissed from a committee?
I did not say anything of the sort.