Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 March 2004
442 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason he has not implemented the recommendations outlined in the report reviewing the structure and organisation of the prison health care services. [9930/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraArising from long-standing difficulties regarding the recruitment and retention of health care staff to work with prisoners, a group to review the structure and organisation of prison health care services was established in 1999. The report of this group, which was published in 2001, makes a total of 43 recommendations covering various aspects of prison health care, including GP, nursing, pharmacy, dental, and psychiatry services.
Subsequent to the publication of this report, a prison health working group comprising representatives from both the Irish Prison Service — health care directorate — and health boards, together with representatives from both the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Justice, Equality, and Law Reform was established. This group, under the chair of Mr. Pat McLoughlin, CEO of the South Eastern Health Board is exploring means of implementing the core recommendations of this report and examining the feasibility of developing partnership arrangements on the provision of various aspects of health care for prisoners. The implementation of appropriate structures will, of course, require the active co-operation of a range of agencies, in particular the Department of Health and Children and local health boards. It is my intention that health care facilities for prisoners should broadly mirror public health facilities provided in the general community.
With regard to the specific recommendation that the common contract for prison doctors should undergo fundamental review, this matter is currently the subject of an industrial relations process, under the facilitation of the Labour Relations Commission, involving the Irish Prison Service and the Irish Medical Organisation, which represents doctors.
