Patrick Costello
Ceist:312. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the number of prison officers by prison in the State; and the number of those which have CPR training, in tabular form. [4093/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 27 January 2022
Ceisteanna (312)
Freagraí scríofa
It has not been possible to obtain the information requested by the Deputy in the time permitted. Relevant information has been sought and I will send it to the Deputy directly when it has been compiled.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
I refer to Parliamentary Question 312 for written reply on 27 January 2022, requesting the number of Prison Officers by prison in the State; and the number of those who have cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR training.
I can advise the Deputy that for security and operational reasons the Irish Prison Service is not in a position to provide a breakdown of the staff resources allocated to individual prisons. However, I can advise that on 31 December 2021 there was a total of 3,260 officers across a number of grades in the Irish Prison Service. Of these, 1,735 were Prison Officers and 440 were Recruit Prison Officers.
I can further advise the Deputy that there are 166 staff members trained in CPR across the Irish Prison Service. A breakdown of this information is set out in the table below.
The Deputy will be aware that the Irish Prison Service has healthcare teams in all prisons. At end of 2021, there were 144 prison nurses in situ across the Service, with a number of these posts being covered through agency support. The primary responsibility for the provision of emergency medical treatment and CPR in prisons rests with the nurse officers who act as part of the first responder teams during any medical emergency.
Evidence to date is that these staff are readily deployed and attend within very short periods of time, often much more speedily than would be experienced in other circumstances. As registered health practitioners, the skills of these staff are vital in assessing and providing the most appropriate intervention in an emergency situation. Where indicated, assistance is simultaneously sought from the National Ambulance Service if it is assessed that further treatment or attention in secondary care may be warranted.
The primary role of Prison Officers is to provide a safe and secure environment in which the provision of healthcare can be provided, without risk to those providing it. As a result, the Irish Prison Service only trains a small number of Prison Officers in CPR, primarily gym officers and Prison Officers undertaking driving duties when escorting prisoners to court. Prison Officers working in Open Centres are also trained in CPR, as 24 hour healthcare cover is not provided in Open Centres.
Unfortunately, due to the implications of COVID-19 on the practical training of CPR, and on staffing commitments, the Irish Prison Service has been unable to provide training to officers in relation to CPR over the last two years and the numbers included in the table reflects only those whose qualification in CPR is current.
The Irish Prison Service intends to retrain all relevant staff including gym officers, escorting officers and appropriate Open Centres officers over the coming months.
Table 1 Prison Staff who have CPR Training.
|
Prison |
Prison Nurses |
Others |
|
Arbour Hill |
7 |
2 |
|
Castlerea |
11 |
2 |
|
Cork |
4 |
5 |
|
Cloverhill |
7 |
6 |
|
Limerick |
6 |
7 |
|
Midlands |
12 |
10 |
|
Mountjoy (Male+Female) |
10 |
5 |
|
Portlaoise |
7 |
5 |
|
Wheatfield |
12 |
6 |
|
PSEC |
10 |
|
|
Loughan House |
1 |
10 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
2 |
19 |
|
Totals |
79 |
87 |