The problem of prison overcrowding therefore remains a challenging issue which unfortunately cannot be resolved overnight. I share the view of the Thornton Hall Review Group that decisive action is required on a number of fronts in order to address the problem of overcrowding and poor physical conditions particularly in Mountjoy and Cork Prisons.
As the Deputy will know, the Government has decided in principle to proceed with the construction of new prison facilities at Thornton Hall and also at Kilworth, County Cork, albeit on a much smaller scale and design to that previously envisaged. The timeframe for this project is currently being discussed in the context of the Government's discussions on capital spending priorities for The State has also been engaged in an ongoing capital programme with almost additional prisoner spaces constructed and brought into use since January There are a number of ongoing projects, most notably the construction of a new accommodation block at the Midlands prison.
It is planned to have the new block fully commissioned by mid These will become operational next month. Following examination of the final report provided by the National Commission on Restorative Justice my Department, through the Probation Service, introduced a scheme to test a range of restorative interventions for adult offenders based on the recommendations contained in the report. The scheme involves the expansion of both the Nenagh and the Tallaght projects. The objective of the scheme is to build the foundation for the implementation of a robust restorative justice model of practice providing an alternative to a prison sentence of less than 12 months duration.
This will test the model's ability to manage up to adult offenders by Community Reparation and up to by the Restorative Justice Service. The Probation Service will monitor, oversee, and evaluate the implementation of the scheme and will provide a report on the effectiveness and value for money of the model after a 12 month operational period. The Deputy can be assured that my focus is to encourage the use, to the greatest extent possible, of the menu of non-custodial options available to the courts.
I believe the restorative justice concept has a place in that range of available options. During the course of the examination by a working group of the UN Human Rights Council of Ireland's report to that Council, prepared under the Universal Periodic Review procedures of the Council, I was asked, among many other matters, about the position of Travellers in Irish society.
One delegation specifically recommended that Ireland should recognise Travellers as an ethnic minority while other interventions were of a more general nature. I replied that serious consideration is being given to granting such recognition. I am aware of the long-standing wish of some Travellers that such status be granted but equally that there is no unanimity among Travellers about this issue.
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The previous Government was of the view that Travellers are not an ethnic minority. I am aware that dialogue between staff of my Department and representatives of Traveller organisations has taken place on the issue, most recently on 11 November during the course of a seminar on the third State report under the Council of Europe Convention on National Minorities. Consideration is ongoing and I intend that the question will be before the Government for decision as soon as possible.
As indicated in the Government Legislation Programme announced by the Chief Whip on 14 September , the Judicial Council Bill is in the course of being drafted with a view to being published in early As well as providing for the establishment of a Judicial Council which will promote excellence and high standards of conduct by judges, the proposed Bill is aimed at providing a means of investigating allegations of Judicial misconduct supported by the establishment of a Judicial Conduct Committee.
Both the Council and the Committee are to include lay representation. The appointment of judges is, and in my view should remain, a separate matter. Judges are appointed by the President on the advice of the Government. At present, such appointments are dealt with by the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board which was established pursuant to the Court and Courts Officers Act Under Section 16 of the Act, where a judicial office stands vacant or before a vacancy in a judicial office arises, the Advisory Board submits to me, as Minister for Justice and Equality, the names of all persons who have informed the Advisory Board of their wish to be considered for appointment to that vacancy and the names of at least seven persons whom it recommends for appointment.
I then bring the names to Government. Section 17 of the same Act provides that these procedures shall not apply where the Government propose to advise the President to appoint a serving judge. I have asked officials at my Department to undertake a review of the current process of judicial appointment, with particular reference to the practice in other jurisdictions.
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That review is ongoing and I do not wish to prejudge its outcome — I will be returning to the matter when the review is complete. The person was subsequently arrested on suspicion of having committed an offence of harassment under section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act An investigation file was forwarded for directions to the Director of Public Prosecutions. In April , the DPP directed no prosecution against the person at that stage.
The person subsequently complained to the responsible Chief Superintendent in respect of the complaint originally made against him.
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He requested that it be dealt with by the Chief Superintendent, who explained the nature of the complaint against him that was the subject of the Garda investigation. The Chief Superintendent responded in writing to the person on 5 October, I am informed by the Garda authorities that local Garda management is satisfied that there is no basis for the complaints being made by the person.
I receive regular updates on the implementation of the Inspector's recommendations. The Inspector himself recognised that in certain areas prisons will not be able to comply with all the recommendations in the short term. As long as there is overcrowding and limitations on resources there will be difficulties in achieving full implementation. However, progress is being made. To give examples, issues raised by the Inspector regarding the general cleanliness of prisons including the need for broken fittings to be replaced are being addressed by the Governors of each institution.
A programme for painting and cleaning is in place in each prison and those programmes are sufficient to meet the needs of that prison. Areas mentioned by the Inspector include the use of special cells, prisoners' complaints and the procedure to be followed following deaths of persons in custody. New procedures have been adopted and will be supported by changes to the Prison Rules which have been drafted.
These are being finalised in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. The Inspector also referred to minimum standards for prison accommodation and the regimes and services that should be provided.
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The Government, as you know, is committed to the elimination of slopping out in prisons. The upgrade of more than cells at Mountjoy Prison, including the installation of in-cell sanitation, will be completed by the end of this month. The Irish Prison Service will then consider the feasibility of installing in-cell sanitation in the remaining cells of Mountjoy and to other facilities elsewhere. The Inspector also recommended the creation of dedicated committal areas and vulnerable persons units in each closed prison.
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The Irish Prison Service is looking at all options available to implement these recommendations where they are not already in place. In relation to the Inspector's recommendation that drug free units be established in each closed prison to accommodate drug free prisoners, I can advise that Arbour hill, St. A drug free unit in Mountjoy Prison will become operational before the end of the year. The template developed for the operation of this unit should have application across many of the closed prisons where the development of a drug free unit is warranted.
To this end, the Health Care Directorate, working in conjunction with prison management, is looking at the options for the development of drug free areas in closed prisons. Following the setting up of the necessary technical systems and auditing of the data from which the statistics are compiled, the CSO is now compiling, publishing and responding to queries regarding recorded crime statistics.
I have requested the CSO to provide the detailed statistics which he has sought directly to the Deputy. A second PULSE letter is sent to an injured party where a person has been made amenable for the crime, including where a person has been charged, summonsed, dealt with by Adult caution or under the Juvenile Diversion Programme. The general feedback from victims and victim support organisation has been positive to the PULSE letters. The Garda Commissioner's review will examine all aspects of current policing, including the deployment of personnel, the utilisation of modern technologies and the operation of Garda stations.
While no decision has been taken, clearly the reduction in public opening hours in some Garda stations, and the closure of other Garda stations, will be issues that the Garda Commissioner will have to address as part of the review. He may well have to consider whether, in appropriate cases, a better policing service could be delivered to a local community by having Garda members out on patrol rather than in a station. I will very carefully consider the outcome of this review and the Commissioner's policing plan for next year with the objective of ensuring that priority is given to the maintenance of front-line services.
Work on the development of a White Paper on Crime is at an advanced stage, following an extensive consultation process. The intention is that this will incorporate a framework National Anti-Crime Strategy which will reflect and respond to the issues raised during the White Paper on Crime consultation process. Methamphetamine is a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Acts and I am further informed by the Garda authorities that a recent seizure of methamphetamine at Dublin Airport was found to be in crystal form. However, the Garda National Drugs Union is of the opinion that this was an isolated seizure and is not indicative of a new or developing phenomenon with regard to this drug.
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The Health Service Executive has also advised that the number of persons currently presenting for drug treatment services who report any use of crystal methamphetamine remains very small. That said, as the Deputy has highlighted, misuse of methamphetamine remains a significant part of the international drug problem and its abuse can result in extremely harmful medical and social consequences. We must therefore continue to monitor the drugs situation as it occurs so as to identify any emerging trends.
I assume the Deputy is referring to the announcement I made last week concerning a consultation process to help inform the future direction of legislation on prostitution. For ease of reference, I am appending the text of the relevant press release and trust that it explains the position in this matter.
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Minister Shatter announces publication of his Department's report on Sweden's legislation to combat prostitution and human trafficking. Alan Shatter T. In July, Sweden published the findings from the first formal evaluation of its ban on the purchase of sexual services. Following the visit, a report was prepared by the Department for the then Minister, and after consideration by him it was submitted to the Attorney General's Office.