Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 45 together.

There has been a consistent increase in the total prisoner population over recent years. It was particularly apparent over the past 12 months during which time the total number in custody increased by 267, a 7% rise in the number in custody. Several reasons are responsible for this increase, in particular the extra resources provided by the Government to the Garda Síochána which has been increasingly successful in prosecuting criminals and extra court sittings which have resulted in higher committal rates.

There is no evidence the courts are excessive in their use of the sanction of imprisonment. Figures produced by the Courts Service suggest only a quarter of indictable offences brought before the District Court and the Circuit Court result in immediate prison sentences. Use is made of fines, community service, probation, restorative justice and suspended sentences. Nevertheless, there are many circumstances where a custodial sentence is the only appropriate outcome and the spaces for those people sent to prison by the courts must be provided.

Despite increasing the stock of prison accommodation, I have acknowledged that prison overcrowding is an issue. While our rate of imprisonment is lower, and the level of overcrowding less, than many of our EU neighbours such as the UK or France, it does not take away from our responsibility to address this issue.

On 22 May 2009, there were 3,642 permanent beds available in the prison system with 3,853 prisoners in custody, representing an occupancy level of 106%. The table which I propose to circulate in the Official Report will provide a breakdown of the population of each prison and place of detention on 22 May 2009.

Significant investment has been made in the criminal justice system in recent years, not least in the prison system. The Prison Service has been engaged in an extensive programme of investment in prisons infrastructure involving both the modernisation of the existing estate and the provision of extra prison spaces. Since 1997, in excess of 1,300 prison spaces have come on stream in the prison system. These include the new prisons in Castlerea, the Midlands, Cloverhill, the Dóchas Centre and new accommodation in Limerick Prison.

Despite this significant investment, it is quite clear that in some of our prisons, we are operating in excess of our bed capacity. However, in the short to medium term this issue will be addressed by the provision of 400 prison spaces by mid-2009 by means of the following: a new remand block in Castlerea Prison which will accommodate approximately 100 prisoners; a new block in Portlaoise Prison which will accommodate approximately 150 prisoners; and a new block in Wheatfield Prison which will accommodate 150 prisoners, due to be completed in the summer of 2009. Recently over 30 extra spaces have been made available at the open centre at Shelton Abbey and a further 40 at the open centre at Loughan House.

The prisons have contingency plans in place whereby they can accommodate numbers above their ideal working capacity. Given the serious pressure the Prison Service has been experiencing during the past 18 months, in 2008 it became necessary to introduce additional contingency accommodation through the doubling up of cells in Mountjoy, Wheatfield, Cloverhill, Midlands and Arbour Hill prisons and in the training unit. This provided 180 bed spaces.

As the pressure shows no sign of abating, the Prison Service recently decided to increase its capacities through the doubling up of further cells in Mountjoy, Wheatfield, Cloverhill, Midlands and Arbour Hill prisons and in the training unit, creating 200 additional temporary bed spaces, some of which are already in place and others coming on stream shortly.

The Government is firmly committed to replacing the prisons on the Mountjoy complex with modern prison accommodation at Thornton. I intend to bring comprehensive new proposals to the Government in the next fortnight setting out how we can proceed with building a new, modern, regime-orientated and cost effective prison complex at Thornton that best meets the taxpayers' interests. Following consideration of these proposals by the Government I will make a public announcement on this matter.

See this speech in context