Ms Caron McCaffrey:

I am grateful for the invitation to discuss Vote 21 with the committee today, which had a total net expenditure of €401 million in 2022. Emerging from the Covid pandemic in 2022, a significant amount of innovation was delivered within the Irish Prison Service, such as the introduction of video visits. Since their introduction in 2021, 45% of all visits are now video visits, which allows prisoners to see more people on a visit, affords more privacy and saves families the expense and inconvenience of having to travel to a prison. To further lessen the burden for families and reduce the risk of cash within the prison environment, the introduction in 2020 of electronic methods of sending money to prisoners has resulted in €16 million being electronically transferred into prisoner’s accounts. Subject to funding, the digitisation of prison services forms a key pillar in our 2023-27 strategic plan. We will modernise our service and improve governance through digital developments that enable more transparent and tailored services, support innovation and improve efficiency and effectiveness in a cohesive and holistic manner.

As members will be aware, the Irish Prison Service does not have the option of refusing committals and must accept all people committed by the courts. We reported over 7,043 committals to prison in 2022, which represented an increase of 15% on the 2019 figure. The annual number of committals has risen further in 2023 to 7,946. We have worked effectively to free up spaces within the existing prison estate through the implementation of a prison population management plan. However, this has now reached its limits. This trend of higher demands on the prison system is expected to increase into the future, contributed to by factors such as overall population growth, increasing Garda and judicial resources, and more frequent court sittings.

The Irish Prison Service has a strong record of accomplishment of modernisation and delivery of innovative projects. These include the completion of a new complex in Limerick Prison delivered in 2022 within its budget of €71.5 million, which provides additional spaces for both women and men. The repurposing and reopening of the training unit in 2022 to accommodate older male prisoners with additional needs allows us to offer a more tailored and highly effective healthcare service. We are committed to continuing to invest in our prison estate to ensure that it is modern and fit for purpose and that it has the capacity to humanely accommodate those committed to prison by the courts. Following a review of the prison estate, a number of locations have been identified as the best options to yield capacity within the existing footprint of the estate to deliver additional accommodation. Planning has commenced for four capital projects at Castlerea, Cloverhill, the Midlands and Mountjoy prisons which will deliver a maximum of 620 additional spaces, subject to the availability of the necessary capital resources.

Recruitment into the organisation continued during 2022 and 2023 with over 320 new prison officers recruited. Continued innovation by our staff led to the Irish Prison Service becoming the first public or private employer to be awarded the prestigious Amber Flag by Pieta House. This recognition highlighted the service’s unwavering commitment to fostering mental well-being and creating inclusive and supportive environments within its organisation.

These are some of the successes and challenges of the Irish Prison Service in 2022. They are successes and challenges that have been accomplished and faced by the staff of the Irish Prison Service with determination and innovation to create a better service for all. Both the Secretary General and I will be happy to take any questions the Chair and committee members may have about the 2022 appropriation accounts.