Results 18,281-18,300 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the processing of the application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy is ongoing and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Community Return Programme (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Community Return Programme is an incentivised early release scheme co-managed by the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service. It commenced in October 2011 and is now operational in every county and from every prison in the State. The Programme has been supported by the reallocation of resources and key personnel from within both services. The Programme targets well behaved...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Facilities (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service has commenced the repurposing of the Training Unit Place of Detention (on the Mountjoy Prison Campus) to a dedicated Unit for older prisoners. It is intended that the Unit will be fully vacated of prisoners and staff in May 2017. A key action of the current Irish Prison Service Strategic Plan (Action 2.5) is to ensure that older...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service Data (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service currently has a tender with Vodafone for the supply of mobile phones to Irish Prison Service staff for official business use. This contract was awarded to Vodafone after a competitive tender. An approved business case must be submitted by the staff member for approval by Irish Prison Service ICT Division before a mobile phone is assigned...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Building Programme (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 76 together. By way of extensive background information on the Thornton Hall project, how it arose, the related prison accommodation issues and other relevant factors I would refer the Deputy to the Comptroller & Auditor General Annual Report 2005 which addressed this issue and to the subsequent examination by the Public Accounts Committee...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Inspections (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 87 together. The report of the then Inspector of Prisons, the late Judge Michael Reilly, on the prisoner complaints system entitled “Review, Evaluation and Analysis of the Operation of the present Irish Prison Service Complaints Procedure” was published on 8 June, 2016 and is available on my Department's website - www.justice.ie. His...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service Expenditure (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the budgetary allocation for the Irish Prison Service for the years referred to by the Deputy were as follows: 2016 - €332.058m, 2011 - €349.583m, 2006 - €389.572m. The Irish Prison Service operates as an executive agency within the Department of Justice and Equality. It is headed by a Director General supported by five...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Gender Equality (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service operates within the parameters set out in Irish, European and international human rights law and promotes equality and human rights through its policies and practices. Separation of male and female prisoners is provided for under Section 52 of the Consolidated Prison Rules 2007-2014. Female prisoners are accommodated in the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Medical Service (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the level of maternity care provided to women in custody, including both pre- and ante-natal care, is comparable to that available to women in the community.  It is provided on a shared care arrangement between the maternity hospital to which the patient is referred, and the Healthcare Team in the Dóchas Centre. Pregnant women...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Education Service (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes to those in custody that include education, vocational training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These programmes can offer purposeful activity to those in custody while serving their sentences and encouraging them to lead law...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Medical Service (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the administration of medicine is a core role of the prison nursing staff who undertake such duties in the prisons on a daily basis in line with Irish Prison Service policy. In addition, the administration of opioid substitution treatments on a daily basis, is part of the role undertaken by the addiction pharmacists in the Mountjoy Campus. In...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Health (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Irish Prison Service operates a 28 day menu cycle which was reviewed and updated in November 2015. The menu provides a wide variety of wholesome and nutritious food and drink each day, properly prepared and well presented. All prisoners, in particular those with medical needs, are encouraged to make healthy choices from the menu provided. Section 23 of the Prison Rules, 2007 (S.I.No....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that the statistics being sought are not readily available. The information is currently being collated and I will respond to the Deputy as soon as the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Data (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have been informed by the Irish Prison Service that at present there are 352 Life Sentenced Prisoners in custody. Table 1 below gives the number of prisoners broken down by prison and gender on the 28th February 2017. Establishment Female Male Total Arbour Hill Prison 39 39 Castlerea Prison 16 16 Cloverhill Prison 3 3 Cork Prison 15 15 Limerick Prison (Female) 1 1 Limerick...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Complaints Procedures (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the director general of the Irish Prison Service, IPS, that the prisoner complaints system is administered by the operations directorate in the Irish Prison Service Headquarters and is governed by the provisions of S.I. 11 of 2013 and Rule 57 of the Prison Rules 2007. The prisoner complaints system provides multiple categories of complaint (A-F), the most serious being...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Medical Service (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that in-reach mental health services are available in the Dublin and Portlaoise prisons, and Castlerea prison, through collaboration with the Health Service Executive, HSE, and the National Forensic Mental Health Service, NFMHS, to provide forensic mental health sessions weekly in these prisons. The Irish Prison Service, in partnership and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Inspections (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service, IPS, that the inspection of healthcare areas within prisons is not within the remit of the Health Information Quality Authority, HIQA. However, the Irish Prison Service has developed the Irish Prison Service healthcare standards which are the basis on which prison healthcare services are delivered to all persons in custody. The Irish Prison...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Health (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the range of dental services available to prisoners is consistent with that available under the GMS Dental Treatment Service Scheme (DTSS) and in line with the objective of the Irish Prison Service to provide equivalence of care in relation to the provision of healthcare services comparable to that available to medical card holders in the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Welfare (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that it deals with individual prisoners who present with a disability on a case by case basis, and makes every effort to ensure that the therapeutic needs of the individual patient are catered for in an effective and appropriate manner. I am further advised by the Irish Prison Service that it does not record data in the format requested in this...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Community Service Orders (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: To date four Recidivism Studies involving the Probation Service have been carried out by the Central Statistics Office. These are available on its website - www.cso.ie. Similar to its three predecessors, the fourth study is a detailed study of recidivism among offenders placed under Probation Service supervision, including those on Community Service Orders. This fourth study, which was...