Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 December 2023
591. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the extent to which adequate or sufficient prison spaces are available to meet requirements at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55448/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware the Irish Prison Service does not have the option of refusing committals and must accept all people committed by the Courts Service. The prison system is under increasing pressure with factors such as ongoing population growth, increasing Garda and Judicial resources, and more frequent Court sittings, all contributing to a rising prison population.
I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service and my Department are committed to providing safe and secure custody for all people committed to prison while ensuring a safe working environment for staff. Officials in the Irish Prison Service and the Department are continuously working to identify short, medium and longer term proposals to help manage the current capacity issues in our prisons.
Where the number of people in custody exceeds the maximum capacity in any prison, my officials in the Irish Prison Service make every effort to deal with this through a combination of inter-prison transfers and structured Temporary Release. Decisions in relation to temporary release are considered on a case by case basis and the safety of the public is paramount when those decisions are made.
In addition, a Prison Overcrowding Response Group has been established, with officials from across the Department, the Irish Prison Service, Probation Service, Courts Service, and An Garda Síochána. This group is currently examining proposals to address overcrowding.
While focused on rehabilitation and reducing offending, we also need to continue to invest in our prison estate, to ensure that it is modern and fit for purpose and that it has the capacity to accommodate those committed to prison by the courts.
In recent years, works have been completed to modernise the Mountjoy complex, a new prison was constructed in Cork and additional prisoner accommodation was provided in the Midlands Prison.
Furthermore, the Training Unit in Mountjoy was reopened providing an additional 96 spaces and the opening of new male accommodation in Limerick in late 2022 has provided an additional 90 cell spaces. The new standalone female prison in Limerick is now providing an additional 22 female cell spaces, bringing additional capacity across the estate to in excess of 200 new spaces.
Plans have also been outlined for 4 capital projects at Castlerea, Cloverhill, the Midlands and Mountjoy prisons to deliver a maximum of 620 additional spaces. I am continuing to engage with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to progress an agreed schedule of capital builds, including the delivery of additional Prison spaces.
