Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2015
419. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if standard audit tools to measure health care equivalence in the prison system have been developed; if these tools have been implemented and audits carried out; the results of these audits; if changes have been made to health care in line with audit recommendations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15658/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service Three Year Strategic Plan 2012 - 2015, under Strategic Action 3: gave a commitment to provide equivalence of care to all prisoners in custody, and to develop audit tools to measure such equivalence. I am advised that the Irish Prison Service has recently carried out an audit of healthcare standards in a number of prison institutions, including Dochas Centre, Arbour Hill, Limerick, Wheatfield, and Cork. These audits have shown that compliance with healthcare standards has risen significantly and now ranges from 76 to 89% across the institutions which have undergone the most recent audits.
