Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The report, which was published in 2020, identified significant concerns about the environmental accessibility of Irish prisons. Some individuals were unable to leave their cells or their wings for large portions of their prison stay and had limited access to education, employment and recreational activities. The report makes a number of recommendations, one of which is that accessibility audits be carried out. I am aware that some of our prisons are in older buildings, but we must ensure any new extensions or new premises are built to the Universal Design ++ standard to ensure they are physically accessible to people with physical disabilities. It is also recommended that information provided to prisoners is in accessible formats. Quite a large number of prisoners have intellectual disabilities and may not fully understand prison rules. Those rules should be explained to them in accessible formats, such as large, easy-to-read print, electronic format, Irish Sign Language, ISL, audio files and so on. Information on the complaints procedure should also be provided to them in an accessible format.

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