FURTHER to Patrick Jordan’s letter (Irish Examiner, March 14), the number of prison places has actually risen from 2,392 in 1997 to more than 3,328 in 2005.

AN Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said recently that crime is not out of control in Ireland and that “as criminals get more vicious, the State will have to get tougher on crime”.

IT seems 3,200 prison officers are to be denied the basic pay increase due to us in accordance with the terms of Sustaining Progress, our most recent national pay agreement.

AS a prison officer, I am deeply concerned that since my colleagues rejected Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s ‘proposal for organisational change,’ we have been subjected to a continuous barrage of criticism from the media and the minister.

YOUR front page (Irish Examiner, November 25) raises several valid points about prison officers working in empty jails.

I HEARD recently on radio that Ryanair is to sell scratch cards to its passengers.

AER Lingus is to be commended for reversing its decision not to carry human remains home for burial.

I SYMPATHISE with Marie Gillen’s plight (‘High price of an early return home,’ Irish Examiner letters, August 23).

CORMAC O’Keeffe’s article headlined ‘Fears as prison officers face rise in assaults’ (Irish Examiner, March 13) outlined the increasing number of assaults on prison staff by inmates. His report, however, is just the tip of the iceberg: the reality is far worse.

ACCORDING to recent media reports, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform’s plans for new prisons include reviewing the future of St Patrick’s Institution.

SOME weeks ago, in an effort to resolve the overtime issue in the prison service, the Prison Officers Association invested a great deal of time and money to produce a package of proposals based on productivity.

LIKE all my colleagues in the Irish Prison Service, I was aghast to hear Justice Minister Michael McDowell announce the closure of two prisons and transfer the only remaining open centres to outside agencies.

YOUR editorial headlined ‘Government losing fight against crime’ (Irish Examiner, Nov 28) hits the nail on the head when you state that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell, is more concerned with cutting costs that putting extra resources into fighting crime.

I WAS taken aback by recent reports of Michael O’Leary’s denigrating comments about trade unions at Dublin airport (Irish Examiner, Oct 24).

I REFER to the letter from Patrick Jordan (Irish Examiner, July 14), who believes it is ‘arrogant’ to express a viewpoint that is critical of SIPTU.

I WAS flabbergasted to see full page Ryanair advertisements ridiculing SIPTU in the press recently. Ryanair’s arrogance is breathtaking.

ONCE again, prison officers’ overtime is highlighted in the media, and

ONCE again public service pay is on the table as part of a national agreement. Never before have I seen such a dreadful proposal.

THERE has been much media coverage in recent times about criminal activity in Limerick.

ONCE again overtime earnings of prison officers are bandied about the media, and the usual comparisons are made to other employees, giving the reader the impression that we are on a gravy train of great proportions.