Fears over closure of Inspectorate of Prisons in Nenagh

Concern has been raised over a proposal to relocate the head Office of the Inspectorate of Prisons from Nenagh to Dublin.

A small number of staff have been working at the Nenagh office, located at Cecil Walk in the Kenyon St Car Park, for more than 10 years now. The Nenagh office is the headquarters of the Inspectorate, which also has a temporary office at the Harcourt Centre in Dublin.
But a recently published job description from the Public Appointments Service states that “it is intended that the Inspectorate will relocate from Nenagh to a permanent Dublin location when suitable accommodation is secured”.

Local TD Alan Kelly has hit out at this move, which he said calls into question the decentralisation rhetoric of Government representatives. The Labour Leader pointed out that the Nenagh office is synonymous with late local judge Michael Reilly, who served as Inspector of Prisons from 2008 until his death in 2016.

The Office of the Inspector of Prisons is a statutory, independent office established under the Prisons Act 2007. Its inspectors carry out regular inspections of the 14 prisons and places of detention in the State and report to the Minister for Justice and Equality.

It is understood that five positions are based at the Nenagh office, three of whom travel between Nenagh and Dublin, and elsewhere around the country. The proposal to relocate was first mooted around two years ago. The Inspectorate is seeking to appoint a number of new positions as there has long been recognition for the need of extra personnel - a need highlighted by Judge Reilly several years ago.

Deputy Kelly said he would be asking Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan why a decision has been made to move the office out of Nenagh. He said the move shows that Government ministers are saying one thing about spreading job opportunities out of Dublin while doing the opposite.

The local TD could see no reason for moving the office out of Nenagh, describing the town as the “perfect location for such a service”.

“The Dept of Justice and the Minister for Justice would want to cop themselves on and ensure that these jobs remain in Nenagh. I will be asking the Minister about this and asking him to reverse this decision,” Deputy Kelly said, adding that he would be surprised to see a minister from a neighbouring county allow such a move.