asked the Minister for Justice his policy regarding the recommendations of the Whitaker report on prison reform.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - Whitaker Report on Prison Reform.
3.
I am at present considering the report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Penal System. The Deputy will appreciate that, given the far-reaching nature of the report's recommendations, I am not yet in a position to indicate what the Government's response will be.
As it is now nearly three years since the report was published and in view of the very serious situation which developed over the last couple of years in our prisons, can the Minister indicate if he has set himself a time limit for reaching a decision on the major recommendations in this report?
I appreciate the very valuable report which we are talking about. The only comfort I can give the Deputy is that I hope to bring some of the issues contained in the report to the Government for consideration in the fairly near future.
Arising from the Minister's reply and given that the Whitaker report has been published for some time, will the Minister agree that, given the useful work carried out by the Joint Committee on Crime, Lawlessness and Vandalism in the last Dáil, it would be a very useful exercise to get a similar committee of the House together to look at the Whitaker report as a matter of urgency, given the problem with recidivism in the prison service?
I am quite sure that the Whips of all the parties can consider the establishment of the committees. When the committee are established they can discuss anything they wish and any views they might have to offer on this matter will be welcome.
Will the Minister agree there is a need in present circumstances to have a complete review of the whole prison system to look at expenditure on prisons, whether or not appropriate persons are being sent to prison and whether or not certain categories of offenders can be dealt with in different ways? Will the Minister agree as a prerequisite to that overhaul that we should as a minimum have a debate in this House on reports of this nature. Public money has been spent and very valuable and useful recommendations have been made but to date we have not had an opportunity in this House to debate this report. Will he and the Government give Government time over the next number of weeks for a discussion in this House of the recommendations in the report?
I suggest to the Deputy to take that matter up with the Whip of her party who can talk with the other Whips to see if it is possible to ——
She is the Whip of her party.
We have the full approval of the Whip of our party.
I have no doubt about that but I would not have the full approval of the Whip of my party to say yes to that question. The Deputy will appreciate that. If there is to be a debate on it I would welcome any such debate.
Has there been a change in policy in the Department of Justice in relation to the Whitaker report in so far as in the previous discussion in the other House last year it was stated that the report had been accepted in principle? Given the fact that the report has been published for three years does the Minister accept that the recommendations headed basic conditions such as privacy in cells, access to a washhand basin, out of cell time and so on, are some of the policies which had been indicated by his Department? Is he now moving back from that?
I am not moving back from anything in the report. I would like Deputy Higgins to accept that. As I said to Deputy Gregory, I hope in the very near future to bring a number of issues in the report to the attention of the Government for approval to implement them. There is no question of moving away from the general principles which the committee believe should be adhered to. There are difficulties with regard to the immediate implementation of some of these.
May I ask the Minister if the recommendation that women prisoners be housed in open centres where possible and the recommendation that juveniles be housed in secure hostels rather than in prisons will be considered? What is his policy in relation to this?
The Deputy is going into some detail now.
The Deputy should know that it has never been the practice in this House to go into such detail by way of reply to a parliamentary question or supplementaries to a parliamentary question. That is not possible. I want the Deputy to understand that I hope to bring a number of matters arising from the Whitaker report to the Government before long in an effort to have the changes made which we believe are necessary.
Will the short term proposals, the ones described as the immediate changes in prison conditions, be implemented before the review?
The Deputy will have to wait until such time as I am in a position to make an announcement on the Government's intention with regard to the implementation of the parts of the report that I am talking about.