Results 6,241-6,260 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Health (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service has confirmed that all prisoners undergo a committal health screening by the Prison Nurse on their committal to custody, and within 24 hours by the Prison Doctor. This is a general health screen that includes a screen for Tuberculosis and a drug and virology screen which aims to identify previous testing for viral infections, current and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Accommodation Standards (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that figures in relation to cell occupancy levels are published on a quarterly basis on their website www.irishprisons.ie. The latest cell accommodation census was produced in April this year and showed that on 7 April, 2016 there was 3,782 prisoners in custody and 2,020 (approximately 53%) had access to single cells. It is clear, given the current...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Health (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that there are currently no plans to commit to a daily minimum of 12 hours out of cell activity for prisoners. I am further advised by the Irish Prison Service that it provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes to persons in custody that include education, vocational training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Security (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that there is no provision for solitary confinement of prisoners in their custody. However, the Deputy will appreciate that on occasion, it is necessary for vulnerable prisoners and others to be separated from the general prison population. The restriction of a prisoner's regime can occur due to a number of factors including the protection of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The question of the governance arrangements and relationship between my Department and the Irish Prison Service remains under consideration.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Welfare (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service Strategic Plan sets out the commitment of the Prison Service to strengthen family supports to facilitate on-going contact with prisoners while in custody and their reintegration post release, with appropriate supports and programmes. The Director General of the Irish Prison Service established the Families & Imprisonment Group...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Strategies (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the Families and Imprisonment Strategy implementation is progressing as planned. The Irish Prison Service (IPS) Strategic Plan sets out the commitment of the Irish Prison Service to strengthen family supports to facilitate on-going contact with prisoners while in custody and their reintegration post release, with appropriate supports and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Accommodation (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: In the joint Probation Service/Irish Prison Service Women's Strategy 2014 - 2016, An Effective Response to Women Who Offend, published in 2014, the Irish Prison Service made a commitment to explore the development of an open centre/open conditions for women assessed as low risk of re-offending. This commitment was acknowledged in the Report on the Strategic Review of Penal Policy who also...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Releases (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The legislative basis for making decisions on temporary release is set out in the Criminal Justice Act 1960, as amended by the Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Act 2003. In September 2014 I published the report of the Penal Policy Review Group which was tasked with carrying out a strategic review of penal policy. The terms of reference for the Group included an...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Releases (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service have a multi agency approach to offender management and rehabilitation in order to reduce re-offending and improve prisoner outcomes. A new pre-release planning policy for the Irish Prison Service is at an advanced stage and will represent considerable improvements to current pre-release planning and practices in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Rehabilitation Programmes (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the service is committed to managing custodial sentences in a way which encourages and supports prisoners in their endeavouring to live law abiding and purposeful lives as valued members of society. In order to achieve this aim the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service have a multi-agency approach involving considerable resources devoted...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Probation and Welfare Service Data (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: A total of €38.963 million in funding has been provided in the Probation Service in the 2016 Estimates.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Juvenile Offenders (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: In general terms, Section 258 of the Children Act 2001 (as amended) provides a limited ‘‘clean slate’’ in respect of most offences committed by children. The application of this section is subject to a number of conditions including that the person was under the age of 18 when the offence was committed. There are no proposals currently under consideration to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Data (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the information requested by the Deputy is published daily on the Irish Prison Service website at www.irishprisons.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Fines Data (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to inform the Deputy that the number of committals to prison for non-payment of a court order fine for each of the years requested is set out in the following table. It can be noted that the figure for committals in 2016 relates to fines imposed prior to the commencement of the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014. Year Number of Committals for non-payment of Fines 2016 (up to and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Reports (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Penal Policy Review Group was tasked with carrying out a strategic review of penal policy. The Review Group's Report, which I published in September 2014, made a number of recommendations about sentencing. Adopting an approach similar to the Law Reform Commission in its Report on Mandatory Sentences published in June, 2013, the Review Group recommended that no further mandatory...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Accommodation Standards (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: There are no plans to develop any new sites for male offenders. I can advise the Deputy that in the joint Probation Service/Irish Prison Service Women's Strategy 2014-2016, An Effective Response to Women Who Offend,published in 2014, the Irish Prison Service made a commitment to explore the development of an open centre/open conditions for women assessed as low risk of re-offending. This...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Special Criminal Court Establishment (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I firmly believe that trial by jury must be preserved to the greatest extent possible. However the threat posed to the criminal justice process by individuals, terrorist groups and organised criminal groups who seek to intimidate jurors or potential jurors cannot be ignored. Article 38.3.1° of the Constitution allows for the establishment of special courts in accordance with the law in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Coroners Service (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: In relation to the investigation of deaths in prison custody, since 1 January, 2012, the death of any prisoner in custody or on temporary release is the subject of an independent investigation by the Inspector of Prisons. The Deputy will be aware that the Office of the Inspector of Prisons is a statutory independent office established under the Prisons Act, 2007. All death in custody...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Sentencing Policy (31 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that a total of 24 dedicated Integrated Sentence Management Coordinators are operational in all prisons and open centres since March 2015. The allocation of dedicated staff in each establishment greatly enhances the effectiveness of the sentence management system and facilitates the growing numbers of prisoners participating in the process. These 24...