I thank the Senator for his generosity. I ask the Leader to arrange a discussion of the report by the Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention, Judge Michael Reilly, on St. Patrick's Institution. The report was delayed for three months before being released on the night of a soccer match alongside reports on other prisons. It was a significant report but it was unfair to those prison officers who do an excellent job in difficult circumstances without giving them a right to reply.

On "Morning Ireland" the Minister for Justice and Equality was given plenty of time to reply but he failed to acknowledge the difficult work carried out by the majority of prison officers. The officers in Oberstown have received no training in dealing with juvenile offenders. There is a lack of balance both in the presentation of the issues and the Minister's defence of his own staff. He seems to have no regard for their position and they are being condemned without proper recourse to law. It is difficult to manage one's defence when the Minister can speak on the radio. The report is worthwhile, however, and Judge Reilly has been efficient in visiting the prison without advance notice. I commend the Ombudsman for Children on the position she has taken on the issue and welcome that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has given her powers to meet young offenders.

Fr. Flanagan from Ballymoe on the border of counties Galway and Roscommon founded Boys Town in the USA. He would turn in his grave if these allegations prove to be truthful. Bullying and intimidation should not be allowed in any prison in a developed country like Ireland. A solution will be found, however. St. Patrick's should be closed but alternatives will need to be put in place beforehand.

I support the call by Senator Darragh O'Brien for a debate on debt and the role of the banking sector. When I made a similar call yesterday I mentioned the comments by Fiona Muldoon at the Irish Banking Federation conference, which had the odd title "Restoring Confidence, Rebuilding Trust" but did not include a single speaker who might have represented distressed mortgage holders or organisations like New Beginning. If the federation really wants to build trust it must consult the people most affected by this disaster.

I join other Senators in calling for further discussion on the report on St. Patrick's Institution. I am reminded of the comments by Dr. Eoin O'Sullivan in regard to the Magdalene laundries. He pointed out that the people of Ireland knew about the laundries because every family in this country knew somebody who was affected by them. The first report calling for the closure of St. Patrick's was written in 1985. Emily Logan stated that she was patronised and made fun of when she reported on the conditions in the institution and that officials of the Department of Justice and Equality treated the matter with an attitude of indifference because it related to young people who had broken the law. In a day and age when we are about to hold a referendum on the rights of children, this is not good enough. The retraining of 60% of the prison officers in St. Patrick's does not - no disrespect intended - go far enough. We need a full judicial investigation into what happened. How has 28 years elapsed with collusion by the Department of Justice and Equality - I do not think I can put it any other way - in what happened in St. Patrick's? It is not good enough and we need to draw a line in the sand before this becomes another Magdalene laundry.