Vol. 523 No. 2
199 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the details of the report of the national steering group on the death which occurred in Wheatfield Place of Detention on 22 June 2000; and the additional measures required which he considers appropriate to prevent deaths in custody. [20773/00]
At a meeting on 29 June 2000 the national steering group on deaths in prison examined the circumstances of the tragic death in Wheatfield Place of Detention referred to by the Deputy. The group found that there were no major omissions in the prisoner's care and that all that could have been done was done.
As I have told the House on previous occasions, there are elaborate strategies in place for the prevention of suicides in prisons, however, unless there is to be a total denial of all personal privacy to all prisoners at all times the possibility of suicides in custody cannot be prevented no more than it can be prevented in the wider community. It is impossible to prevent all suicides or suicide attempts, all that can be done is to reduce the risk.
In a recent development the Irish Prisons Service issued a tender for a research project on self harm and suicide in custodial settings. It is hoped that this project will contribute to further proposals for preventive strategies, when it is completed.
The national steering group on deaths in custody have continued to meet on a regular basis. This provides a forum for collating the reports of the local suicide awareness groups and to disseminate significant findings and lessons learned through the prison system. The group also organises an annual forum of the local suicide awareness groups. The first such forum took place in October 1999 and the second is proposed for November this year.
