asked the Minister for Justice if he will give details of the progress to date of repairs at Mountjoy Prison; the number of prisoners at present being accommodated there; and if he will state what is considered the ideal number that this prison should accommodate.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mountjoy Prison Accommodation.
10.
Virtually all riot damage has now been made good. The modernisation programme for the prison is proceeding and the first major job, construction of the corrective training unit, will be completed early next year.
There is now cell accommodation in Mountjoy Prison for 485 male prisoners and for 25 female prisoners. However, practically speaking, it is never feasible to have all this accommodation occupied at any one time. This arises from the need to keep accommodation available to receive persons committed in custody on remand or to await trial and to provide segregation for certain categories of offenders. On 10th July, 1973, there were 416 men and 14 women in custody. Broadly speaking, these are the numbers which the prison can accommodate.