John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Will Mr. Waters give the committee an idea of the position in terms of the prison population and existing capacity? The Irish Prison Service reports that in 2007, the average number of prisoners in custody was 3,300. It peaked in 2011 at 4,390, while the figure in 2014 was 3,915. Where are we now when it comes to the average number of prisoners in custody and what is our capacity? Has the money that was spent on Mountjoy and on building a 300-person wing in the Midlands Prison eased the capacity restraints? What kind of a buffer do we have within the system at present?