Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

The figures have been mentioned by other speakers. In his 2008 report Judge Reilly indicated that there were 3,926 people imprisoned in that year. On 29 July this year the figure had risen to 4,473, which does not include prisoners on temporary release.

The rate of imprisonment is 93 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants compared with 80 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants in 2000.

I listened with interest to the Minister's lengthy speech. Informative as it was, he should have read the last paragraph of the report of the Inspector of Prisons which states: "It would be wrong if this report was to be used as a vehicle for hysterical outbursts, irrational debate or point scoring". It would be beyond the Minister to have a debate without engaging in political point-scoring; that is what he indulged in for quite an amount of his speech which is par for the course for him.

The Inspector of Prisons sets out a roadmap for immediate action and minimum standards and safe custody limits for each of the 14 prisons. Aspects that receive particular attention include slopping out, multi-occupancy cells, overcrowding, with particular emphasis on the Dóchas Centre and the Limerick female prison, and the need for refurbishment across the prison estate. Critically, the inspector cites overcrowding as a key issue behind the increase in violence which he describes as endemic in Mountjoy Prison.