asked the Minister for Justice the number of prisoners that are now gainfully employed; and the number of companies that co-operate with his Department in offering employment facilities.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Prisoner Employment.
40.
(Cavan): In general, those prisoners in custody who are not in full-time attendance at educational classes are engaged in some form of work for a portion of the day, which, on average, is about five hours and a small gratuity is paid in respect of it. The task in which any particular person is engaged can be any one of a great variety and, of course, the number at work varies continuously for various reasons, including fluctuations in the prison population.
A number of prisoners are permitted to take employment outside the prison either on full or daily conditional release. It would be misleading to seek to put a figure on the number of firms who co-operate with my Department in the matter of giving employment to prisoners, either while they are serving their sentences or on their release. Very many firms have been helpful in this respect at various times over the years.