The Prison Officers' Association this evening rejected a plan by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, to introduce mandatory drug testing of prisoners.
At the Prison Officers Association conference in Ennis, Co Clare, the POA said prisons were already flooded with drugs, and no inmate had ever been prosecuted for drugs offences.
Speaking at the conference earlier today, Mr McDowell said a new regime could soon be introduced which provided for mandatory drug testing of prisoners.
"Such drug testing can, at an individual level, identify those persons engaged in the use of intravenous drugs within the prison environment, and can, at an institutional level, provide prison management with important information on the presence of drugs in prisons," he said.
Two prisons closed in a dispute over overtime payments could soon reopen, the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell said today.
Addressing the Prison Officers Association (POA) annual conference in Ennis, Co Clare, the Minister said it was his firm belief that "more efficient work procedures" will soon be in place. "This would also clear the way for reopening the Curragh and Fort Mitchel," he said.
Both prisons were closed early this year as the Minister sought to reduce the service's €64 million overtime bill. He also threatened to close or transfer two open prisons, Loughan House and Shelton Abbey, to private prison operators.
He told officers today that although the Government is still considering outsourcing prisoner escorts, he supported attempts within the service to establish a "cost-effective" escort corps.
Michael McDowell
Although he could not discuss the specifics of talks at the Labour Relations Commission over new working arrangements for prison officers, he said: "I am satisfied that both sides are fully engaged [and] that real progress is being made".
Other cost-saving measures such as video-conferencing rooms in prisons for short court hearings would also cut prisoner transport costs, Mr McDowell indicated. He also said non-custodial sanctions against offenders were being looked at more closely.
"I believe that there is scope for more opportunities for community-based sanctions and for a more significant role for the probation and welfare service." Technological advances in electronic tagging "have reached the stage where it could be introduced in this jurisdiction", he added.
Speaking to an association which earlier this week voted for industrial action at Limerick Prison over conditions and threats to workers, Mr McDowell conceded that a major modernisation programme for prisons, which includes enhanced security, was required.
He said preliminary figures suggest that over 4,000 prison spaces will be needed to cope with the increased population and additional money will be needed to meet the demand.
A Prison Visiting Committee report warned of severe overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at the State's prisons. Details of the report were published in today's Irish Times.