Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There has been a consistent increase in the total prisoner population in Ireland over recent years. The problem of prison overcrowding therefore remains a challenging issue which unfortunately cannot be resolved overnight. Given the current number of prisoners in custody - 4,248 on 13 September 2012 - the Irish Prison Service is not in a position to provide single cell accommodation to all prisoners. Single cell occupancy across the system would result in a bed capacity of less than 3,000 and would not be possible to achieve without releasing sizeable numbers of prisoners considered to represent a threat to public safety. While it would be ideal if we had the capacity to provide single cell accommodation for all prisoners, it will not be feasible to do so in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, we will continue to make efforts to improve prison accommodation and to promote the use of non-custodial options where appropriate.

It must also be borne in mind that prisoners are housed together for reasons other than lack of capacity. Family members, friends and co-accused prisoners often elect or are assigned a shared cell. Shared cell accommodation can be very beneficial from a management point of view particularly for those who are vulnerable and at risk of self-harm. There will always be a need for certain prisoners to be accommodated together.

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