The establishment of an independent prisons authority came a step closer yesterday with the appointment of an interim board. The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, announced that the positions of director general and deputy director general will be filled shortly.
The interim board is being established on a non-statutory basis and its functions will be advisory for the moment. When a statutory board is set up, it will have responsibility for the day-to-day management of the prison service. Mr O'Donoghue told The Irish Times he hoped to introduce the legislation by the end of year. He said the method being followed for establishing the prisons authority was similar to that being used with the courts service, where a transitional board is in operation.
The prisons authority interim board will prepare guidelines for the Minister on the management, administration and business of the prison service; a statement on the steps involved in the transition to a statutory prisons authority, including the senior management structure; a strategy statement and business plan and annual budgets and key objectives and targets for the prison service.
It will also monitor and report to the Minister on the general performance of the service. Many of the staff working for the prisons section of the Department of Justice are expected to transfer to the new authority, but this will be voluntary. Mr O'Donoghue said he hoped to see soon an end to the "revolving-door" syndrome because of the increase in prison places. The completion of the prison-building programme would result in an end to this and allow for a more structured programme of supervised temporary release, he said.
The interim board chairman, Mr Brian McCarthy, said the board members came from the public and private sectors, and they were taking on an onerous responsibility. They looked forward to working with the prison service and the Probation and Welfare Service.
The members of the interim board are Mr McCarthy, of FEXCO, the Foreign Exchange Company of Ireland; Ms Anne Counihan, of the National Treasury Management Agency; Mr Eamon Leahy SC; Dr Patricia Casey, psychiatrist; Mr Michael Whelan, Guinness Ireland; Ms Kathleen O'Neill, community worker; Mr Jerry Kiersey, Institute of Freight Forwarders of Ireland; Ms Mairead Ahern, county registrar; Mr Michael Mellett, assistant secretary, Department of Justice (ex officio); Mr Frank McCarthy, prison governor, and Mr Tom Hoare, Prison Officers' Association.
The director general and deputy director general will be ex-officio members.