General Prisons (Ireland) Act, 1877

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Establishment of General Prison Board.

4. A Board shall be established to be called “The General “Prisons Board for Ireland” (in this Act referred to as “the “General Prisons Board”), and such board shall consist of a chairman, vice-chairman, and not more than two other members, to be appointed by the Lord Lieutenant by warrant and to hold office during the pleasure of the Lord Lieutenant, and such board shall, subject to such directions as they may from time to time receive from the Lord Lieutenant and to the provisions of this Act, have the control and management of all prisons and of all prisoners therein, and may make contracts and do all other acts necessary for the maintenance of such prisons and the prisoners therein. The General Prisons Board shall defray the expenses incurred in the performance of the various duties hereby committed to them out of such moneys as may be provided by Parliament for such purposes respectively.

Whenever from time to time any vacancy upon the General Prisons Board shall occur by reason of the death removal or resignation of any member thereof, or otherwise, the Lord Lieutenant may by the like warrant appoint some other fit person to fill such vacancy.

Any one member of such board may also hold the appointment of inspector of industrial and reformatory schools.

The members of the said board so appointed, and their successors, shall by the name of “The General Prisons Board for “Ireland,” be a body corporate, with a common seal, and with power to acquire and hold land without license in mortmain so far as may be necessary for the purposes of this Act.

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Any act or thing required or authorised to be done by the General Prisons Board may be done by any one or more members of the board as the Lord Lieutenant may direct; and the said board shall, in the exercise of their powers and jurisdictions under this Act, conform to any directions which may from time to time be given them by the Lord Lieutenant.

No act or proceeding of the General Prisons Board shall be invalidated or be illegal in consequence only of there being any vacancy on such board at the time of such act or proceeding.