Vol. 348 No. 11
asked the Minister for Justice the circumstances under which a number of women prisoners in Mountjoy jail, Dublin, were able to secure access to the drug, largactil, on 8 November 1983 resulting in ten of them being hospitalised for a drug overdose; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
10.
asked the Minister for Justice the steps that were taken to notify the families of ten female prisoners from Mountjoy jail who were hospitalised as a result of drugs overdose on 8 November 1983.
(Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 10 together. This incident occurred when ban-ghardaí were working in the prison during the dispute last November between the Prison Officers' Association and my Department. The ban-ghardaí were unfamiliar with their surroundings and did not realise that a prisoner had taken a bottle containing largactil from a locker in the chief officer's office, some time after 2 p.m. while the prisoners were on recreation. The bottle was concealed by the prisoners until later when ten of them drank its contents. The ban-ghardaí were unaware that anything was wrong until that evening at about 7.15 p.m. when they observed that ten of the prisoners were drowsy.
Arrangements were immediately made to have the prisoners transferred to the Mater Hospital for treatment. The media became aware of the incident while the transfer arrangements were being made and news of the incident was broadcast before it was possible to notify any relatives of the prisoners. At that time the authorities at the prison were fully occupied arranging transfers of prisoners and increased surveillance of the other prisoners in case any of them had consumed some of the substance.
It is clear that so much largactil — approx. 1½ litres — should not have been in the female prison at that time as only one prisoner had been prescribed the drug in question by the doctors attending the prison. A complete review of the arrangements for ordering, storing and administering drugs to all prisoners is in progress at present and when a decision on a revised procedure has been taken I will be making a public statement on the matter.
In the meantime, a new medicine cabinet has been installed in the female prison, the key of which is held by the supervising officer on duty. All drugs are kept in this cabinet.
At present 11 women prisoners are receiving medication. Only one day's supply of dangerous drugs — librium, mogadon etc., are kept in the prison while up to one week's supply of nonaddictive and harmless drugs, such as iron tablets, may be kept. As no prisoner is at present prescribed largactil no largactil is held in the prison.
Was the drug largactil normally kept under lock and key before the incident occurred? Can he explain how it came to be available to the prisoners at the time the incident occurred?
(Limerick East): The largactil which the prisoners acquired was kept in a locker in the chief officer's office and it was taken by the prisoners some time after 2 p.m. The prison officers in charge of that section were not on duty, as the Deputy is aware, at that time, and the ban-ghardaí who were running the female prison at that stage were not familiar with their surroundings.
I think the Minister is avoiding the basic question. Was the largactil not locked in the cabinet at that time? How did it come that the key was available? Was the key left around somewhere? This is the basic point. I appreciate what the Minister is saying about it being in a store room, but I would understand that in those circumstances the room was locked.
(Limerick East): My understanding is that it was in a locker in the chief officer's office and it was taken from there by the prisoners.
If the Minister would relate it to Question No. 10 on today's Order Paper he could indicate what arrangements were made for notifying the families of the prisoners. At what time were the families notified, say within how many hours of the prisoners being removed to hospital?
(Limerick East): The Garda were in charge of the prison. Information was being given out freely to the media, and the news of the incident was broadcast before it was possible to notify any relatives of the prisoners, but the relatives were informed subsequently.
My question is, at what stage were they notified? Was it within an hour, two hours, four hours, five hours? Could the Minister give us an approximate time?
(Limerick East): I have not got a time that I can give the Deputy. There would have been some delay because the people who were running the prison on that night were involved in the difficulty of getting so many prisoners to hospitals and then putting other prisoners under surveillance in case they had taken the drug also.
