asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons committed to prison during the last ten years for non-payment of civil debt; and the average length of time spent in prison by those so committed.
Written Answers. - Persons Committed to Prison.
369.
Limerick East): Nobody may be committed to prison merely for non-payment of civil debt. A person may be committed to prison for failure to comply with a court order to make certain payments in discharge of a debt, an order which may be made only after examination of means designed to establish that the person can pay. There are seven persons in custody at present on foot of such orders. Compilation of such statistics over a ten year period would, however, take up a disproportionate amount of staff time.