Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 4 Nov 2003

Vol. 573 No. 3

Written Answers. - Irish Prison Service.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Ceist:

551 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 192 of 9 October 2003, his views on other measures apart from reducing the cost of prison officer overtime to bring down the high cost of incarceration here; and if his Department will consider increased investment in prisoner education and rehabilitative programmes, community based prevention initiatives, including education, employment, recreational programmes and other social supports, other cross-departmental measures and planning to reduce the rate of recidivism and of initial offence as another medium to long-term approach to cost reduction in this area. [24789/03]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell)

As the Deputy has noted, I focused in my answer to Question No. 192 of 9 October 2003 on the particular measures which I am already actively pursuing to bring about the application of more efficient staffing arrangements in the Prison Service, particularly those which involve eliminating overtime.

The Irish Prison Service is committed to the cost efficient use of resources to achieve its strategic objectives. The service has adopted many cost saving initiatives to reduce its cost base, including the introduction of new technologies to reduce manning levels in newer prisons and the establishment of a central purchasing unit to ensure that the Prison Service maximises its purchasing potential through achieving economies of scale.

As regards rehabilitation and education, the service is committed to helping prisoners to develop their sense of responsibility and encouraging those attitudes and skills which will assist them to return to society with the best chance of leading law abiding and self-supporting lives after release. The service employs a number of means to encourage prisoners to bring about positive development within themselves, including: individual and group counselling on offending issues; programmes in the areas of education, vocational training and life-skills; drug treatment; specific programmes to address criminogenic factors – thinking skills, anger management and sex offenders treatment programmes; one-to-one counselling and support; and facilitating the involvement of voluntary organisations in providing appropriate prisoner support services.

As previously mentioned, the Prison Service has for some time been in negotiation with the Prison Officers Association on a new deal to enhance significantly the operational efficiency of our prisons and to reduce costs. Once resolution of these negotiations has been successfully achieved, the more stable financial baseline which will ensue as regards funding allocations to the various prison services, will enable the continuation and enhancement of education and rehabilitative programmes building on what has already been achieved. In the future development of these programmes, the Prison Service will continue to work in partnership with other relevant Departments and agencies as well as organisations in the community and voluntary sector with due regard to an effective financial management framework. The aim will be to maximise Prison Service efforts and investment in the educational and rehabilitative spheres within a sound financial structure where funding for these areas would not have to be curtailed or redirected to meet the payment of prison officers' overtime.

The point is also worth making that the proposed changes are expected to have a positive impact on prisoner programmes particularly as regards the provision of time to enhance staff skills to make a greater contribution to prisoner programmes through multi-disciplinary involvement. At present, the opportunity to train staff in such areas is curtailed by the high overtime costs arising while staff being trained are replaced on an overtime basis. The proposed new system will not require such staff to be replaced on such a basis.