Clare Daly
Question:148. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the percentage of each prison population detained in shared-cell accommodation for each of the years 2013 to 2016 to date. [25654/16]
View answerFriday, 16 September 2016
Questions (148, 149, 150, 151)
Clare Daly
Question:149. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her views on in-cell sanitation; the number of prisoners slopping out and the number who must use a toilet in the presence of others for each of the years 2013 to 2016 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25655/16]
View answerClare Daly
Question:150. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners that were placed on restricted regimes in each prison in 2015 and 2016 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25656/16]
View answerClare Daly
Question:151. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners placed on 23 hour lock-up in each prison in 2015 and 2016, including the average time spent on this regime and the maximum number of days; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25657/16]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 to 151, inclusive, together.
I am advised that in relation to the average time spent by prisoners on 23 hour lock up and the maximum number of days, this information is not collated centrally and would require a manual examination of a large number of individual files. Such an examination would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort that could not be justified where there are other significant demands on resources.
I am further advised by the Irish Prison Service that in relation to the other information requested by the Deputy, this is published quarterly on the Irish Prison Service website at www.irishprisons.ie. The information is contain in the "info centre" - under statistics and information - census reports. This information is available from July 2013 to the present.
In relation to slopping out, with the construction of a new prison in Cork which opened on 12 February 2016 and the refurbishment of Mountjoy which is scheduled to be complete this year, 98% of prisoners now have access to in-cell sanitation. On 27 June, I launched the Irish Prison Service’s Capital Strategy 2016-2021. This ambitious programme will see the complete replacement of the outdated accommodation in Limerick and Portlaoise prisons as well as improvements across a number of other prisons. On completion of the Limerick and Portlaoise projects, “slopping out” will be completely eliminated across the prisons estate.