“Unless something is done someone will be found dead in the Irish Prison Service” - Tóibín
Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín TD raised the crisis in the Irish Prison Service with the Taoiseach in the Dail today. He stated;
“Tom McHugh was an Assistant Chief Officer in Portlaoise Prison. In October 2018 a prisoner stated to the Governor of Portlaoise that other Prison Officers were constantly coming into the prisoner’s cell and in his words, they wanted him to cut up Tom McHugh. This is just one example of what Tom had to endure while he worked in Portlaoise Prison”.
Tom McHugh was vindicated by the Naughton Report. There is a Garda investigation ongoing into what happened Tom. There has been a Prime-Time Investigation into his shocking experience. I have raised this with the Taoiseach, the Tánaitse , the previous Minister for Justice, the current Minister for Justice and the Junior Minister Hildegarde Naughton”.
“Yet Tom is now 18 months out of work. The Irish Prison Services want him to return to the same work conditions that he left. No servant of state should be forced to return to a working environment where his life is threatened and where the state have stood idly by in terms of fixing the problem”.
“This week it was reported by Mick Clifford of the Irish Examiner that prison officers are being investigated because some of them “went on the beer” while they were supposed to be escorting of a dangerous gangland criminal from Portlaoise Prison to court”.
“I spoke to another senior member of the Irish Prison Service today who said to me that there is a deepening crisis in the Irish Prison Service and unless something is done some one will be found dead”.
“Taoiseach when will you stop standing idly by and reform the Irish Prison Service”?
