James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Irish Prison Service is committed to providing safe, secure and respectful care for all of those committed to custody. I accept that for those with a disability, the prison environment can provide significant challenges, but I can assure the Deputy that any prisoner who, following assessment, requires supports with activities of daily living is accommodated in a suitable setting. This applies to the physical infrastructure and to the support of healthcare assistants who provide a full range of personal care services to meet prisoners' needs.

As the Deputy will be aware, the prison estate in Ireland consists of a mix of old historical buildings and new, more modern facilities. The Government has made significant investments over recent years to modernise facilities and replace outdated accommodation. New prison developments include dedicated accommodation suitable for people with disability or mobility issues. These cells are on ground floors and are equipped to meet the needs of the user. For example, the modern prison buildings in Limerick, Cork, the Midlands and Wheatfield prisons include accessible accommodation and the Dóchas Centre has 30 cells which are wheelchair accessible. In addition, the refurbishment of the training unit in Mountjoy Prison included the installation of two high-dependency suites should a prisoner require full nursing care, and the Irish Prison service has, as part of its fleet, wheelchair accessible transport.

In relation to the provision of supports and services, including education and training, education in prisons is delivered in partnership with the education and training boards, ETBs. I assure the Deputy that at all times prison education seeks to deliver relevant programmes that ensure broad access and high participation. Indeed, education staff in prisons are particularly vigilant in identifying individual education needs and discuss each prisoner's needs with them on application to the school, including their literacy levels and any additional supports that are required.

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