Parliamentary Question: Prison Visiting Committees

15th October 2003

83. Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress which has been made with regard to his consideration of measures to reduce the overall costs of prison visiting committees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23363/03]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell): As I previously explained to the House, a visiting committee is appointed to each prison under the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act 1925 and Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order 1925.

Members of visiting committees receive no remuneration. Vouched expenses for travel and subsistence are paid, on the authorisation of the prison governor, in line with Civil Service rates. In making new appointments to prison visiting committees I have tried to ensure that appointees come from the county in which the institution is located or an adjoining county.
In past years, each visiting committee has undertaken an annual visit to another prison institution for instructional purposes in order to compare facilities and conditions in other institutions against their own prison. I have instructed that such visits should now only take place where the majority of the members of the visiting committee are newly appointed, thereby reducing travel and subsistence expenses.

While I am unable to provide the Deputy with exactly corresponding figures at this time between this year and last year, the indications are that the amount of travel and subsistence paid to members of the visiting committees so far in 2003 is significantly reduced in comparison with last year. Travel and subsistence costs claimed by members of the visiting committees for the first half of 2003 amounted to €229,872.52 compared to €656,435.53 for the entire year in 2002.