The Director General of the Irish Prison Service would like to thank the Prison Officers' Association for their support on the roll-out of a comprehensive range of security measures aimed at combatting the trafficking of contraband into our prisons. However, the Director General would like to point out that the Governor of the largest prison in Northern Ireland, Maghaberry, (previously described by the POA as a model of operational excellence) has confirmed that, like Irish Governors, he and his Deputies, for operational reasons, always carry mobile phones in the prison.

The Director General rejects the POA claim that not enough is being done to address this matter.