Bernard J. Durkan
Question:301 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of women prisoners in prison and serving sentences of less than one year. [11737/99]
Written Answers. - Prison Committals.
There were 73 female prisoners in custody in Irish prisons on Thursday, 29 April. Eleven of these were serving sentences of less than one year.
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:302 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners in prison and serving sentences of less than one year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11738/99]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:303 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons in prison serving sentences of more than one year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11739/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 302 and 303 together.
Statistics are maintained in a manual format and consequently, the time required to collate the information sought by the Deputy cannot be justified. However, this type of information should be readily available once the new prisoners record database which is part of a £6 million IT system currently being devised is introduced and becomes fully operational in the entire prison system.
I can inform the Deputy, however, that in 1994, the latest year for which such figures have been published, of 6,866 prisoners sentenced in that year, 5,149 prisoners were serving sentences of less than one year while 1,717 were serving sentences of more than one year.