Parliamentary Question: Prison Visiting Committees

19th February 2003

245. Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 394 of 12 December 2002, and having regard to the geographic spread of prison visiting committee members, the reason no person from Wexford was deemed suitable for appointment as a member of prison visiting committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4811/03]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell): The parliamentary question referred to by the Deputy would appear to have been answered on 10 December 2002 rather than on 12 December 2002. 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.

The function of visiting committees is to visit, at frequent intervals, the prison to which they are appointed and hear any complaints which may be made to them by any prisoner. They report to me any abuses observed or found by them in the prison and any repairs which they think may be urgently needed. The visiting committee have free access, either collectively or individually, to every part of their prison. In inspecting prisons, the visiting committees focus on issues such as the quality of accommodation and the catering, medical, educational and welfare services and recreational facilities.

Members of committees are appointed by the Minister for a term not exceeding three years. At that point they may be either re-appointed for a further term or are replaced by new members.
Appointments to the visiting committees are made by me on foot of representations, usually either by individuals nominating themselves or from local representatives nominating a constituent. The fact that a nominee is not accepted for appointment to a prison visiting committee at a particular time does not necessarily mean that the individual is unsuitable to serve on a committee.
I can, however, inform the Deputy that I have recently appointed a person from County Wexford to the visiting committee of Shelton Abbey Place of Detention.