Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The first thing I want to say in regard to the change in the law to protect peace officers and provide maximum sentences is that everybody in the House, including the Deputy, shares the view that it is important that we put legislation in place to send out a very clear message and solidarity from this, the people's House, with those on the front line that it simply will not be tolerated if anybody tries to attack or assault a member of An Garda Síochána or ram their vehicle or attack any other emergency worker. I know we are united in that overall view.

Regarding the broader point on prison overcrowding, I assure Deputy Daly that we are committed to building stronger and safer communities. To do that we need to progress policies aimed at reducing offending, diverting people away from the criminal justice system and, where appropriate, providing effective rehabilitation. My colleague, Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, is leading a lot of good work in the Department on that. We are focused on rehabilitation and reducing offending.

Alongside that, we need to continue to invest in the prison estate and ensure it is modern and fit-for-purpose. We need to ensure it has capacity. Sometimes people talk about it as though it is either-or; it is not. We need penal reform, but we also need to expand prison capacity. Pressure on the system has increased because our population has grown and is continuing to grow. Increasing judicial resources and Garda numbers will also have an impact on the prison system.

It is also the case that Covid impacted on the operation of our criminal justice system. We are still dealing with the fallout of the pandemic as the system tries to return to some degree of normality.

As the Deputy will be aware, a number of prison projects have been completed in recent years, adding to the capacity in men's and women's prisons in Limerick and the training centre in Mountjoy. In addition, I recently received Government approval to try to progress four short-term capital projects, one in Castlerea, one in Cloverhill, one in the midlands and one in Mountjoy Prison. Together, these projects will deliver a minimum of 620 additional spaces. I am now engaging with the Minute for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, with view to progressing an agreed schedule of capital bills. Our revised Irish Prison Service capital strategy will also be finalised this year.

See this speech in context