Vol. 1041 No. 6
48. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice to provide an update on the implementation of the promised reforms relating to antisocial behaviour outlined in the programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33988/23]
I ask the Minister to provide an update on the implementation of the promised reforms relating to antisocial behaviour outlined in the programme for Government. We are three years into the implementation of the programme. Most of the measures were sensible; some have been implemented or have come close to being implemented. Will the Minister provide an update?
I assure the Deputy that the Government and I, as Minister, are determined to tackle antisocial behaviour and its causes. Antisocial behaviour, as we know, is a broad term often used to describe a range of actions and behaviours that violate social norms in specific contexts. While it is generally associated with young people, we cannot confine it to young people.
A number of priority actions are contained in the programme for Government and the justice plan for 2023 to reduce instances of such behaviour and to help people be safe and feel safe, be it in their communities or in their homes. We have the setting up of the expert forum on antisocial behaviour, which is chaired by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Browne; the expansion of youth diversion to the 18 to 24 age group; implementation of the youth justice strategy, which runs from 2021 to 2027; the criminalising of adults who groom children into criminality; and the delivery of a programme to tackle the misuse of scramblers and similar vehicles.
The antisocial behaviour forum, which is chaired, as I said, by the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, is developing measures which will address the factors which give rise to antisocial behaviour and its impact on community morale and quality of life. The forum seeks to avoid duplicating other ongoing work in my Department. Three subgroups of the forum have been established to consider the specific issues of knife crime, the misuse of scramblers and quad bikes, and responses to antisocial behaviour impacts on housing complexes managed by approved housing bodies.
The scrambler subgroup developed a new initiative to support local projects. There was €190,000 allocated last year to assist projects in 2022, with a further €190,000 allocated for this year. Separately, my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has introduced the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, which provides enhanced powers for An Garda Síochána to seize those types of vehicles if used in antisocial behaviour or related criminality.
Through the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027, we are broadening and deepening the services right across the youth diversion network. That puts a focus on early intervention. Some of the newer projects have focused on much younger ages, starting from eight years up to 11, as well as expanding and supporting the family support programmes, in particular for those who are at risk, looking also at appropriate education, training and youth services.
I will come back in my second response with details on some of the other areas.
The motto of the Garda is always to address not only the causes of crime but also the fear of crime. Of great concern in recent months has been the situation on O'Connell Street and serious incidents which have happened on the streets close by. One of our Dublin Deputies told me recently about a bus driver who was badly assaulted, with cuts around his face and neck, when he tried to fight off a robbery attempt. While restraining one attacker, he was set upon by another, who tried to gouge his eye out. Thankfully, he escaped, but he had severe injuries to his head and face. This concern has been raised with me by a few Dublin Deputies and by some bus drivers. Other bus drivers have been assaulted while working around O'Connell Street and similar areas. This needs to be addressed. The programme for Government promises proper community policing. It is not just Dublin where there is a problem with this. It seems that the community police are the first to be cut when there is a recruitment crisis. I am thinking of Killarney, my town, where there is currently no community garda in place.
As I outlined at the outset, this is not just about younger people. I refer to all the measures I have mentioned already, such as the focus on the youth justice strategy and how we can prevent younger people from getting into crime or engaging in this type of antisocial behaviour. It is important that there are deterrents separate from those types of specific programmes, making sure we have enough CCTV. The Bill we will pass tomorrow evening, the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, will resolve some of the issues we have had around the general data protection regulation, GDPR, and the roll-out of community CCTV, which most people in this House have asked for and which I have said I am pleased will be resolved. We will be able to ensure that the local authority, working with An Garda Síochána, will be able to put in place CCTV. It is a matter of making sure gardaí are equipped with body-worn cameras. Again, legislation will progress through this House tomorrow to make sure that gardaí are supported and enabled to deal with difficult situations as they arise, be it in our city centre or elsewhere.
It is also a matter of making sure we have enough gardaí on the ground. We have a new operating model coming into play this year. It will ensure for the first time that all divisional areas have dedicated community policing. Of course, we need to make sure we continue to increase the number of gardaí to populate all the new teams working under that model, but I am absolutely committed to that. I will go into more detail on that matter in answer to the next question.
As I said earlier, the Garda recruitment targets are continually missed. We are faced with a potential net loss of gardaí this year despite the promises of an additional 1,000 officers. The workers and residents in the north inner city deserve better. I hear what the Minister says about the scrambler legislation she has introduced, and I understand that the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill was moved by Government Deputies - in response, it has to be said, to an earlier Private Members' Bill by Deputy Paul Donnelly, Deputy Mark Ward, who is with me here today, and a number of other Sinn Féin Deputies. In addition, I welcome the legislation that is proposed relating to the criminalisation of people who groom children to commit crimes, but again, that was on foot of and followed on from the hard work which was done by more of our Dublin Deputies, not just on tackling crime with legislation. This has been a great disappointment, and I think we can say that there has not been great progress on restorative justice. Dr. Ian Marder, who wrote recently in The Journal, outlined that, excluding the youth diversion programme, there were 713 referrals in 2019 but only 413 in 2020. A proper restorative justice system needs to be introduced as soon as possible.
The work being done across the Department of Justice is not just focused on changing laws, supporting the Garda and the work it does; it also looks at penal policy reform and how we can stop this cycle of reoffending and get to the root causes, and that is about much more than the Garda. We are introducing what are called community safety partnerships. They look at the response to crime and antisocial behaviour in our communities, acknowledging that not just the Garda, the courts and the Prison Service have a role to play, local authorities also have a role. It is about education and bringing community groups together. It is about the community itself identifying what the issues that need to be addressed are and how we can get to the root causes, particularly in communities where there are particular hardships that result in the type of antisocial behaviour and criminality we see.
There is a huge amount of work under way looking at the tough response and making sure that where people commit crimes, there is a sentence to match that, while also acknowledging that for many people in our prisons and in these situations, there are challenges and challenging backgrounds they come from. We need to always try to address the root causes; otherwise we will never stop the cycle of this type of behaviour.
49. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice the current operational strength of An Garda Síochána; if she will include a breakdown of new recruits, retirements, resignations, gardaí unavailable for duty and any analysis on the projected numbers of gardaí over the next 18 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34000/23]
In light of the very worrying trend of a continuing decline month on month in garda numbers, I ask the Minister to set out what the current operational strength is and what her projections are and to give that in detail in terms of new recruits, retirements, resignations and what the net figures will be or are likely to be over the next 18 months.
As I have just outlined to Deputy Daly, this is a priority for me in my engagement with the Garda Commissioner and his team. We are absolutely committed to building stronger, safer communities, and the role and the strength of the Garda will be key to that. We have allocated a budget of €2 billion for this year for An Garda Síochána. When it comes to recruitment, therefore, money is not an issue. We have funding for new recruits entering Templemore every 11 weeks. I can confirm that there are currently 370 recruits in the Garda College in Templemore.
The number of recruits has continued to grow in each class following the reopening of the college after Covid-19. While I do not like it, it is unfortunately a fact that in those two years the recruits who were in the college had to be released out to do some of their training on the ground. That meant that the numbers going through the college stopped or reduced to a trickle. Subsequently, we have had to re-engage and to get the process up and running. Some 92 recruits entered the training college in late November, when that process started again, with 135 in February and 154 in May, and another class will enter at the end of this month. Obviously, we want to continue those numbers in that trajectory.
Our initial recruitment campaign saw 11,000 people apply last year, with 5,000 reapplying or applying for the first time in this year's recruitment campaign. We are doing this to ensure we have a steady flow of recruits and people who are interested. These figures show that a large number of people want to join the Garda and see it as a fantastic career.
I understand that the development of a recruitment and retention strategy is a priority for the Garda. As of the end of May, there were 13,927 Garda members across the country. This represented an 8% increase on our numbers since 2015. As all Deputies will appreciate, though, we need to be moving in the opposite-----
2015? The population has increased by 1 million since then.
Absolutely. It is a net increase overall, but we need it to be greater. Our Templemore figures were moving in a positive direction for two years. Unfortunately, though, they have slowed down.
Garda numbers are continuing to decline. They have declined every month for the past 12 months. As she set out, the Minister's plan to deal with this decline was to recruit five different intake classes of 200. That has been a failure. The February intake was 135. The May intake was 154. Many of those being offered places at the Garda College are not taking them up. This is a serious crisis, one that will not be resolved by the measures the Minister has outlined.
I understand, and the Minister has told us, that the Garda Commissioner has given assurances that the best he can hope for is that there will not be a net loss of gardaí this year. We need to start building numbers. Will the Minister set out for the House how she will deal with the numbers declining month on month? Peak Garda numbers occurred in March 2020 when they totalled 14,720. Last month, there were 13,927. That was almost 850 fewer. What is the Minister’s strategy to deal with his situation?
The only way we will increase those numbers is by getting as many gardaí through Templemore as possible.
We are failing in that.
Absolutely, but as can be seen from previous years, it takes time to start building momentum and to get a steady flow of candidates through Templemore. I agree that the 92, 135 and 154 are not the numbers we had hoped for, but we are moving in the right direction. In previous years, the situation progressed in this way and numbers came through steadily.
We meet the Garda Commissioner and his team weekly. There is a lengthy process. The Public Appointments Service has to interview all of the candidates and ensure that people are still interested. We have a fluid environment in which there is full employment. Recruitment is not just a problem for the Garda, but right across the public service. Once candidates go through a number of interviews, they must undergo physical, medical and aptitude tests as well as a vetting process. They must then return for further interviews. Unfortunately, this process takes longer than any of us would like. We have examined how to allow different stages to occur simultaneously, but there are certain parts that cannot happen in parallel. My objective is to ensure that as many people pass through Templemore as possible. It will mean another recruitment campaign and keeping the finger on the pulse, and that is what will happen.
We had a debate on housing just before these questions. The simple message is that if the strategy is not working, as it patently is not in terms of Garda recruitment, one has to do something different. The Minister’s ambition was to have 1,000 additional gardaí trained this year. We are halfway through the year and she tells us we have 370 in training. Her target is not going to be reached. That is a simple fact. We will have a further decline.
My colleague, Mr. Peter Horgan, tells me that Garda numbers in Cork city are down 145 since 2020 out of a total strength of 723. To mention some popular tourist areas in my own constituency, which the Minister of State would know, there is now one garda in Courtown where there used to be four and four in Bunclody where there used to be eight. This is a pattern across the country. It is not sustainable as our population increases. What new approach is the Minister going to take to stop the haemorrhaging of gardaí and ensure they are replaced?
A number of steps are being taken to try to identify why members are leaving, but I must stress that over the past seven years the average number of members leaving and choosing different career paths has been between 0.5% and 0.7%. It is at just under 1% now, so there has not been a major loss of gardaí. There has been an increase in recruitment. There was a significant influx many years ago when the college was open. Unfortunately, we are now in a period when a larger number of gardaí are retiring than in previous years. The only way to respond to this is by ensuring we get numbers into Templemore and through the college.
But the Government is not.
It is not that people have not applied. Rather, it is a question of going through the process. It will take time to achieve a steady flow. We can see that while it is not happening as quickly as I would like, the numbers are increasing and we are reaching the stage where we will have a steady flow. That is the priority. We are performing exit interviews with everyone who leaves and we are trying to identify other ways in which we can encourage people. This has to do with the €2 billion for the Garda, body-worn cameras, new technologies, new equipment and capital investment, thereby making the Garda as attractive as we can for those who want to join. It is about getting people into the college. We are heading in the right direction.
50. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice to provide an update related to section 67 of the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022, including an outline of the rationale behind the amendment’s inclusion in the Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33989/23]
Will the Minister of State provide an update on section 67 of the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022, including an outline of the rationale behind the inclusion of an amendment in the Bill, and will he make a statement on the matter?
I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. The Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022, which was signed by the President on 5 July 2023, makes a number of amendments to the Data Protection Act 2018. As the Deputy will be aware, section 67 inserts a new section 26A into the Data Protection Act to provide a prohibition on disclosure of confidential information by persons engaged with the Data Protection Commission, DPC, in connection with certain defined functions. The purpose of this amendment is to bolster the integrity of the statutory processes and the provision to the DPC of confidential and commercially sensitive information in the course of carrying out certain statutory functions. Under the GDPR, the State has a duty to ensure that the DPC is provided with the powers necessary for the effective performance of its tasks.
Section 26A(1) provides that the DPC may issue a written notice to a person, known as a "relevant person", where the commission is or will be providing that person with confidential information, directing that the person not to disclose that information unless required by law or authorised by the commission. The prohibition on disclosure does not, however, apply where disclosure of the confidential information is required or permitted by law or authorised by the commission in writing. The notice must identify the information that is confidential and the specific reason it is confidential, with reference to the definition of "confidential information" in subsection (5).
The amendment, and therefore the ability for the commission to prohibit disclosure of confidential information, only applies in the context of relevant functions, which are statutory investigations, inquiries, audits and the handling of complaints under the Data Protection Act. There are also limits included in terms of the duration for which the obligation not to disclose information lasts. Where information is confidential because its disclosure would prejudice the effectiveness of the performance of a relevant function, that prohibition ceases once the relevant function has concluded.
Nothing in this amendment would prevent a person from speaking out about the nature of his or her data privacy complaint or that a complaint had been made to the DPC. It also has no impact on media reporting about complaints or the enforcement of the GDPR.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
This was an amendment sought by the DPC in support of its ability to carry out its functions under the GDPR in an effective, efficient and lawful manner and to ensure fair procedures were maintained for data controllers and data subjects alike.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply. If someone breaches confidentiality after a direction is given, he or she is liable to a class A fine. Thankfully, there is still no offence on indictment, but this still threatens an inequality of arms, as many ordinary people, or even activists who are interacting with the DPC, will not be in a position to pay such a fine.
The amendment has created a great deal of concern among privacy and transparency activists. It is their view that the commission already uses its powers to direct non-disclosure far too liberally. According to the Government, the intent behind the law is to protect data given to the commission rather than to give the commission the ability to declare proceedings confidential. On a reading of the amendment, however, the powers are radical in that they set aside the intent or the context where the commission argues doing so is necessary in a case.
The amendment was sought by the Data Protection Commission in support of its ability to carry out its functions under GDPR in an effective, efficient and lawful manner and to ensure fair procedures are maintained for data controllers and data subjects. I will give an example. The Data Protection Commission will, from time to time, need to engage with parties other than the entity whose processing is under examination. For example, to enable complainants and, in some circumstances, representative bodies that may have referred matters of concern to the Data Protection Commission to exercise their right to be heard or to express their views on the matters under examination, it is important that the Data Protection Commission is able to share relevant material with those parties. The material that might need to be shared will depend on the circumstances of each individual inquiry but may include drafts of Data Protection Commission decisions as well as information and material that might have been received from the data controller or processor under examination. It is important that the Data Protection Commission is able to share this material with those parties but on a confidential basis to ensure it is retained as confidential.
As I said in a debate on legislation in recent weeks, I have sympathy for the Data Protection Commission in that it is under-resourced and, at some stages, it seems deliberately so. I also note the Government increased funding to the Data Protection Commission long after we in Sinn Féin made provision for doing so in our alternative budget under Deputy Martin Kenny two years ago.
It is very important that people who are seeking information have to be able to explain and outline the nature of the commission's decisions. Acts that now just disobey a directive will soon turn into criminal cases. Under section 154 of the 2018 Act, officers and the commissioner enjoy a defence of acting in good faith. This means that no proceedings can be brought against them. This an important protection that will allow them to do their job but it contrasts badly with the amendment the Government rammed through last week.
As I outlined, this will protect very particular information that is given in confidence, in line with the relevant functions of the Data Protection Commission. It is very important that the Data Protection Commission can carry out its duties under GDPR in compliance with EU law in a safe manner that can protect the information provided to it through its audits, investigatory powers or any of its other functions. To have a situation where anything provided to the Data Protection Commission will simply be available to the public would seriously hinder the Data Protection Commission in being able to carry out its role as required under the law.
51. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the steps she is taking in conjunction with her ministerial colleagues to address ongoing public safety deterioration in Dublin city centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34383/23]
What steps is the Minister taking in conjunction with her ministerial colleagues to address the deteriorating public safety issues in the city of Dublin?
The Deputy is aware, as he has acknowledged it previously, that safety is not just a matter for the Department and members of An Garda Síochána. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland recognised that community safety is not solely the responsibility of the Garda. Rather, it is a whole-of-government responsibility. This is key to the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill that we will debate tomorrow.
Dublin’s north inner city is one of three pilot locations for the new local community safety partnership. This will build on and replace the existing joint policing committees, bringing together gardaí, local representatives, community organisations, local authorities and other State bodies, to draft a community safety plan tailored to the community's needs. Nobody knows better than those in the local community what it is that they need to keep their community safe and what the issues and concerns are. The Dublin local community safety partnership is due to launch its plan shortly and I commend it on the work it has undertaken already. A number of strands of work are happening. These look at everything from the types of services in Dublin city centre, housing accommodation, crime and other issues.
In addition to the development of the new community safety partnerships, the Garda is working on a number of issues to give it the tools and technology to fight crime, such as improved CCTV and body-worn cameras. This legislation is progressing through the Houses. Significant resources are being invested in An Garda Síochána so that we have ongoing recruitment, which I appreciate is a challenge, as well as investment in equipment and capital. We are implementing a range of youth justice interventions, which I mentioned in response to an earlier question. This is looking at anti-social behaviour and how we can try to get to the root cause and prevent much of the behaviour from escalating.
The community safety innovation fund was established by the Government to reinvest directly back into communities money seized as proceeds of crime. With this money, Dublin City Council has provided for a new community safety warden scheme for the Wolfe Tone Park area and surrounds of the north inner city. The wardens have been hired and are undergoing training. I expect to see their presence in the capital in the next few weeks. I have also provided funding to launch a similar initiative on O'Connell Street at the weekends. A lot is happening and with the plan we will be able to work with the local community to make sure, from the perspective of all Departments, that we are working to implement their actions.
I thank the Minister for her response. I do not doubt for a second that there are plans in train and I welcome all of them. The north inner city has in the past had such local community policing partnerships. All the while, crime and anti-social behaviour continued almost separately. In Dublin city centre, for example, when a retail worker finishes work at 9 p.m. on Thursday evening, what are we going to do in the immediate sense to make that person feel safe as he or she walks along the street? How will this be done immediately? There are issues in the city that require an immediate response.
There is confusion about the wardens being able to observe crime but not act on it. Everybody in the city is observing crime and trying to contact gardaí but nothing seems to be happening. Will we have wardens who can observe but not do anything? That is not too dissimilar to the situation that exists at the minute.
With regard to working in concert with ministerial colleagues at present, what meetings has the Minister had? Last week, I posed questions to the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, who has responsibility for local authorities. I was surprised to learn that he had not yet engaged with Dublin City Council.
The role of the wardens will be to support gardaí and the community and not to arrest. Their role is to engage and observe. To say that nothing is happening is the perception or narrative that is being put out. We opened the new Garda station on O'Connell Street. This was something that we had prioritised to ensure there is visibility on our main thoroughfare. Since then there have been 417 individual proactive foot and mountain bike patrols. We have had 1,191 persons arrested, 2,366 charges and 930 summons. We have had 163 juvenile liaison officer referrals and 90 adult cautions. This is just since the new Garda station opened on O'Connell Street. This does not take into account the large amount of work that has been happening over the past two years under Operation Citizen. It does not take into account the large amount of work done through Operation Saul, which is to complement this with regard to public transport. There is also the undercover policing work that is being done with regard to drug dealing and the lower types of incidents that are happening. I cannot commend the Garda enough for the large amount of work being done but it does have to work in tandem with all of the other areas. Even though the plan has not yet been launched through the community safety partnership, there is work afoot through the local authority and others to try to address some of the issues in the city centre.
I appreciate the Garda station opening and I have welcomed it. If we were to walk along O'Connell Street and Marlborough Street this evening to get a Luas, would any one of us feel safe? I walk home through that area most evenings. There is still an issue. I have specifically asked what attempts the Minister is making in conjunction with her ministerial colleagues. How much has she engaged with Dublin City Council on addressing dereliction and street cleaning? Has she engaged with the Department of Health to ensure we can offer assistance to those people who are down laneways engaging in drug abuse? They do not want to be there. What is happening at ministerial level in terms of quick actions? I do not want to give a dystopian view of Dublin because it is an incredible place to be but we have issues that require an immediate response. I do not think the people of Dublin who engage with the city every day feel safe or see the benefits of some of the schemes the Minister has spoken about.
There is work under way. For example, Dublin City Council has given a commitment to look at the fact there is a consolidation of health services and supports, particularly for those with drug addiction problems in the city centre. It is examining what kind of impact this has on surrounding areas. We need to get this information first. Initial work was done on the time of day that street cleaning is carried out and whether there is a better time to do it. How do we make sure that our streets are clean? All of this feeds in, as does looking at where the trees on O'Connell Street block the light.
A significant amount of work is being done in assessing where there are ways in which we can make small improvements. In the context of making the much larger changes, however, one is up against issues relating to the type of housing that is central to O'Connell Street and the surrounding area, where there was a significant amount of tourism, whereas now there are people seeking international protection and people who have fled from Ukraine, with the associated impact on footfall in the city centre. There was a lot of work happening across different Departments even prior to the plan being launched and separate from the work of the Garda. Of course, it is the intention that the community safety partnership will bring all that together and make sure it is a plan that is supported by all the Departments the Deputy mentioned and that I have outlined in some of these specific areas.
52. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice what plans are in place to address the long waiting-list for people in prison to access psychology services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33990/23]
Mental health and addiction issues are all too common in the prison population. Information I received from the Department of Justice indicates there are 2,259 people in prison waiting up to two and a half years for mental health treatment. What plans are in place to address the long waiting lists for people in prison to access psychology services?
I thank the Deputy for raising the important matter of prison access to psychology services. As he pointed out, a significant number of people committed to prison have mental health issues. I assure him I am aware that if we address these issues, we can help to break the cycle of offending.
The programme for Government commits to considering the mental health and addiction treatments of persons in prisons and the primary care support provided on release. The Deputy will be aware that the report of the high-level task force considering the mental health and addiction challenges of people interacting with the criminal justice system was published last August by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The recommendations made by the task force aim to ensure better support for people at the earliest point at which they come into contact with the criminal justice system. They build on existing best practice to ensure there is adequate provision of services and sufficient safeguards in place to support rehabilitation and through care from custody to the community. A progress report will be prepared in quarter 4 of this year.
In addition, the report on the health needs assessment for the Irish Prison Service, which is the first comprehensive health assessment undertaken for the service, was considered by the Government and published in May. Taken together, these important and comprehensive pieces of work represent a coherent and all-of-system approach to addressing offender behaviour, providing rehabilitative and mental health supports and managing the prison population in a considered and planned way.
Separately and highlighting the important and diverse range of work in prisons, I advise the Deputy that, with the aim of supporting prisoner rehabilitation and access to employment post release, the prisoner education task force was established on 23 May 2023 and is jointly chaired by me and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris.
Further, both I and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, are committed to ensuring the Prison Service has the resources needed to implement the required changes. The core work of the Prison Service psychology service is to address the mental health and offence-related needs of those in prison. In budget 2023, additional dedicated funding of €970,000 was secured to bolster the number of psychologists employed by the Prison Service. I have been advised by the service that it has the ability to recruit the following new psychology posts from the funding provided: one principal specialist psychologist; two whole-time equivalent senior psychologists; and 6.6 whole-time equivalent staff grade psychologists.
There is a high rate of recidivism among people who leave the prison system. Although I agree with the Minister of State that we need to break the cycle, we need to put treatment plans in place for people while they are in prison. Mental health and addiction are always problematic and prominent. It is imperative that people get the help they need while they are in prison. It would lead to less reoffending and would benefit society in general.
I referred to 2,259 people awaiting treatment in prison but I will also provide the waiting lists for some individual prisons. At the training unit in Mountjoy, which you would think would be a priority, there are 53 prisoners waiting 893 days, on average, for an appointment with a psychologist. In the Midlands Prison, there are 516 prisoners waiting 645 days, on average. In Mountjoy, there are 314 prisoners waiting an average of 610 days. In Castlerea Prison, there are 158 prisoners waiting 515 days and in Wheatfield Prison there are 260 prisoners waiting 432 days. These statistics are unacceptable. It is a captive audience, excuse the pun, when people are in prison. They can get the help they need while they are in there. If they do not, it will lead to more reoffending. Does the Minister of State accept these numbers are unacceptable?
I agree that the numbers are unacceptable. That is why we are determined to get them down. Competitions for principal, senior and staff grade psychologists are under way, with a closing date for applications of Friday, 4 August 2023. It is envisaged that recruitment will be completed and assignments made to existing and new vacancies by the end of 2023.
The prison psychology service provides an integrated service to people in custody and is responsible for mental health and criminogenic offence-related assessments and interventions. The Prison Service psychologists are qualified mental health practitioners and the largest body of mental health professionals employed directly by the Prison Service. The total number of staff currently assigned to the psychology service is a head of service, a principal psychologist manager, two principal specialist psychologists, 13 senior psychologists, 22.6 psychologists and 14 assistant psychologists. As I stated, a recruitment process is ongoing as well.
In the context of referrals into psychology, people in prison are suffering from a multitude of conditions, including mood and anxiety disorder, neurotic and stress-related disorders, disorders of personality and behaviour, complex and other post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm, suicidal behaviour, substance use, eating disorders, psychosis, schizophrenia, addiction, dementia, cognitive decline, traumatic brain injuries, impulse disorders and disorders of sexual preference. There is a multitude of issues for people in prison. I cannot understand why people in prison have been waiting 893 days, or two and a half years, for these complex issues to be addressed. I know there is a recruitment process in place but more urgency is needed, otherwise we will have the revolving door of people going into prison, reoffending after release and then going back into prison. We need to put services in place for them while they are in there.
It is worth noting that the increased staffing in prisons of one additional psychologist has allowed the Prison Service to do more group sessions in 2022. An additional 1,842 group sessions were held in 2022 compared with 2021. Consequently, I believe the additional recruitment that is ongoing will provide significant help.
In working to reduce waiting lists for psychology interventions, the Irish Prison Service psychology service is proactively reducing the time spent doing assessment and, in turn, increasing the amount of time allocated to interventions. This includes the fast-tracking of prisoners into certain interventions directly from referral based on file review and consultation with a multidisciplinary team. In addition, the Prison Service is increasing the number of group sessions rather than individual sessions. This will allow the psychology service to engage with a greater number of clients. Previously, group sessions were closed, meaning that once the membership of the group was established, it was not open to new members to join. The Prison Service has now introduced rolling groups that allow for new members to join and this will improve access to psychology therapy. Further developments are being introduced by the Irish Prison Service psychology service. I agree with the Deputy. The waiting times are too long but we are attempting to reduce them.
