Ms Caron McCaffrey:

We have been very well supported in terms of the capital budget. As I mentioned, we concluded our biggest capital project, which was in Limerick Prison, in 2022 at a cost of just over €70 million. Obviously, we will continue in respect of our capital projects.

On the cost per prison space, the cost in 2022 was just over €84,000 and that increased to just over €88,000 in 2023. Those increases predominantly related to increases in public sector pay, which have a knock-on effect, and increases that we have been witnessing in respect of inflation, particularly around food, medical costs, utilities, etc.