Patrick Costello
Question:955. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated cost in 2021 if the budget for the Inspector of Prisons increased by 50%. [15937/20]
View answerTuesday, 14 July 2020
Questions (955)
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The Inspector of Prisons, whose independence in the exercise of her functions is provided for by law, plays a vital role in ensuring effective independent oversight of our prison system. The main function of the Inspector of Prisons is to carry out regular inspections of prisons and places of detention in Ireland. The Inspector also investigates deaths of prisoners in custody and has oversight of the prisoner complaints procedure in the Irish Prison Service.
I was pleased to see an increase in the budget for the Office of the Inspector of Prisons of €0.7m in Budget 2020, bringing the total allocation to €1.2 million. This total allocation represented an increase of over 140% compared to the Office's budget in 2019.
On the basis of the current budget, a 50% increase would cost €600,000 and bring the total budget to €1.8 million. However, and as the Deputy will appreciate, the 2021 budget for the Inspector of Prisons will be costed in the normal manner and considered as part of the normal estimates process later this year.