Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 May 2017
132. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of women in each of the years 2011 to 2016 who, upon receiving a custodial sentence and going to prison, have had entered on their medical record that due to pregnancy they require antenatal care; if there is an existing recording system for such data; and if she will set out a proposed timetable to remedy this. [19533/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra133. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of pregnant women in prison nationally that required an escort from prison to the local maternity hospital in order to receive appropriate antenatal care in each of the years 2011 to 2016; and if no records are kept of these escorted antenatal visits, the reason for this lack of record keeping and her plans to address it. [19534/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 133 together.
It is the policy of the Irish Prison Service that prisoners be provided with healthcare services which are equivalent to those made available to citizens in the general community, including maternity care services.
The Irish Prison Service has advised that the delivery of healthcare services to all persons in custody is on an individual patient basis. In that context, the Irish Prison Service healthcare teams record all relevant medical information in relation to individual patients on the Prisoner Healthcare Management System.
The Irish Prison Service has confirmed that it uses Prisoner Healthcare Management System to record all medical information in regard to the ante-natal care that is provided to women in custody.
However, the Irish Prison Service has also confirmed that it does not record data in the format requested on the aggregate number of pregnant women requiring an escort from prison to the local maternity hospital in order to receive antenatal care owing to the requirement that it maintain the confidentiality of the medical records of the persons in its custody.
