Vol. 485 No. 1
104 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners on temporary release who sign on in Mountjoy prison each day and each week; if his attention has been drawn to the concern of local residents at the number of these prisoners needlessly in the area; if he will introduce a new system and have these prisoners sign on elsewhere, for example, at the local Garda station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22541/97]
The number of offenders on renewable temporary release from Mountjoy Prison can vary substantially from week to week and as such the number required to report to the prison on any one day can vary between 30 and 50.
The granting of temporary release is a statutory function of the Minister for Justice under the Criminal Justice Act, 1960. In cases where renewable temporary release is granted, a precondition of the release is that the offender must report back to the prison from which he or she is on release on a specified date to sign on and have his or her temporary release renewed. It may also be a condition of renewable temporary release that offenders report at their local Garda station on a daily basis. I am aware of the concerns of residents in the area surrounding Mountjoy and I can assure the Deputy that once the new prison accommodation becomes available that every effort will be made to reduce the level of renewable temporary release. I would draw the Deputy's attention to the fact where renewable temporary release is granted to an offender it can only be renewed by the governor of the relevant prison in consultation with the prison division of my Department.
