Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 3 Oct 1996

Vol. 469 No. 4

Written Answers. - Early Prison Releases.

Noel Ahern

Question:

51 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Justice the reason her Department did not co-operate fully with the Council of Europe survey of membership countries in relation to sanctions and measures ordered by criminal courts, published in the Penological Information Bulletin; the reason Ireland appears reluctant to publish data on early prison releases; and if the published data for other member countries shows Ireland in a bad light. [17564/96]

Minister for Justice (Mrs. Owen)

There was full co-operation from the Department of Justice in the survey of the Council of Europe referred to in the question. All the available information in relation to the Prisions and Probation and Welfare Services areas was supplied. The information sought in the questionnaire in relation to the sanctions imposed by the courts in criminal cases was not available. The method of keeping information in this country differs from the format used in the questionnaire. The collation of the requested information would have required an examination of each individual court record relating to criminal cases and this would have involved the allocation of scarce resources which would not have been warranted.

It is unclear from the Deputy's question the precise information on temporary release which he states has not been supplied for publication in the Council of European Penological Information Bulletin. However, I can inform the Deputy that there is no question of a reluctance to publish available figures on the level of such releases. Information on early and temporary releases is published in the annual report on prisons and places of detention, the latest publication of which is for the year 1993. In addition, I have indicated in response to a number of parliamentary questions the number of individuals granted varying periods of short-term temporary release as well as those granted full temporary release each year. The information in relation to the years 1994 and 1995 is currently being compiled.

There is no question of my Department not co-operating with the Council of Europe nor do I accept that published figures overall show Ireland in a bad light.