Ms Caron McCaffrey:

Absolutely. It will not be run by the Prison Service. It will be run by a service provider in the community. Between the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service we will have access to ten beds. It is for women who have very complex needs so we can release them into the community with those wraparound services they require in order not to reoffend and come back into our custody.

The Deputy may also be aware that we will sign a contract imminently for the replacement of the A and B wings in Limerick Prison. That is our next major piece of capital expenditure. That project will take place over the next 18 to 24 months. It will give us an additional 125 spaces. As well as the male wing that is being replaced, we are building a stand-alone prison for female offenders on the Limerick site, which will provide 50 female spaces. That will be very welcome capacity in the context of the increase we are seeing in female offenders.