The Deputy will be aware that I published a new 3-Year Strategic Plan for the Irish Prison Service in June this year. The Strategy is being implemented by developing and progressing four key actions namely - Staff Support; Prisoner Support; Victim Support; and Enhancing Organisational Capacity.
The Irish Prison Service is making some changes to the visiting timetable across a number of prisons to facilitate the implementation of a number of initiatives that are included in the new Strategic Plan. This includes a new enhanced approach to staff learning and development, increased access to services for prisoners and increased use of video-link for court appearances.
To facilitate these new initiatives a new prison visiting timetable is being introduced across certain closed prisons this month (October). As a result visits will no longer be held in the mornings, Monday to Friday, in Castlerea Prison, Cork Prison, and Limerick Prison. This is now in place in these locations.
Visiting arrangements in the Mountjoy, West Dublin and Portlaoise Campuses will continue as normal with the exception of Tuesday when there will be no visits on that day. This arrangement has already been in place in these location for some time. There will be no change to the current arrangements in Loughan House and Shelton Abbey.
While the timing of visits in Castlerea Prison, Cork Prison, and Limerick Prison will change I can assure the Deputy that there will be no reduction in the number of visits available to prisoners. Prisoners will still be able to avail of all the visits that are appropriate to their incentivised regimes privilege level. The Irish Prison Service has examined the demand for visits and is satisfied that there is sufficient capacity to meet the Monday to Friday demands without the necessity to introduce evening visits; however, should the need arise, I am advised that the Irish Prison Service will consider this on a site by site basis.
