Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

I want the House to be aware that there are some very fine prisons in Ireland. We talked about Cork Prison. The new Cork Prison, which I have visited, is an excellent prison. Similarly, I have visited both the men's and women's prisons in Limerick. Huge investment went into them. The Irish Prison Service deserve to be commended on getting these prisons built on time and on budget. When we do prisons, we do them well. Our population has increased significantly. However, our prison capacity has not similarly increased. If we go back to 2011, we had a prison capacity of approximately 4,600. Today, we still have a prison capacity of 4,600. We need to recognise that with the increasing population, there has to be an increase in capacity for prisons. That is not a sign that we are turning into a lock-them-up society, but it is an indication that when there is a greater population, we are going to need greater prison spaces.

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