Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 July 2013
406. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on the recent examination of the feasibility of Wi-Fi Internet, wireless telecommunications systems and communications infrastructure in a prison environment by the Irish Prison Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32887/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, an online notice was recently posted which outlined that the Irish Prison Service intends to examine the feasibility of using Wi-Fi in a prison environment. The purpose of this trial, which will be conducted in a non-live environment, is to ascertain if Wi-Fi may represent a suitable alternative to wired cabling, which is expensive and time consuming to deploy.
This investigation will examine technical issues surrounding the use of Wi-Fi in a prison, including especially whether the signal could be restricted to meet the security requirements of the Irish Prison Service. In particular, there could be no question of Wi-Fi being used to give prisoners open access to the internet. I am advised that this is a feasibility study only, and no decision has been made on the future deployment of Wi-Fi in prisons.
