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

I thank Senator Keogan for raising this important matter. It is unquestionably the case that we have a problem in respect of prison overcrowding. It is also the case that we need to make additional space available in our prisons in order to deal with an increase in the prison population over the past number of years. A great deal of work has been done to date to enhance prison infrastructure, provide additional capacity and explore alternatives to prison for those who are non-violent or non-serious offenders. The programme for Government, published earlier this year, contains a commitment to continued action in the area and to the construction of a prison at Thornton Hall.

I want Senator Keogan and the other Senators present to know that the Government will continue to invest in the prison estate to ensure that it is modern, fit for purpose and has the capacity to accommodate those committed to prison. In recent years, capacity across the prison estate has increased by more than 300 new spaces, with over 120 of these added in the past 12 months. There is more capacity to come on stream very soon. Since I became Minister for Justice, I have visited two prisons, Cloverhill Prison and Cork Prison. I visited the latter on Friday last. I am well aware from those visits of the excellent work done by prison officers in the Irish Prison Service. I am also aware, however, of the overcrowding problems in our prisons. I want to assure Senators that further spaces will be delivered in 2025 as part of an overall plan out to 2030.

The Irish Prison Service has a total budget of €525 million for 2025, an increase of €79 million, or 18%, over 2024. Obviously, the issue to which Senator Keogan refers relates to the capital budget. The Prison Service capital budget stands at €53 million in 2025, an increase of €22.5 million on the original allocation for 2024. The reason the Government agreed to such a significant increase in the capital budget is because of the overcrowding in our prisons. In July 2023, a prison overcrowding response group was established, comprising officials from my Department and representatives of relevant agencies. The function of the group was to consider measures to address capacity issues in the prison estate. In June 2024, on foot of a report from this group, range of actions were approved and work to implement these is ongoing.

A working group was established in the second half of 2024 to further consider future prison capacity needs and make recommendations on the volume and types of prison capacity needed to 2035. The work of this group will support and inform future developments, including at Thornton Hall. As part of the comprehensive accommodation strategy for international protection, a portion of the land of Thornton Hall was identified for potential accommodation for IPA applicants.In 2024, the Irish Prison Service signed a two-year licence agreement with the Department of children for the use of approximately 30 acres of the site for the accommodation of persons seeking international protection. Nonetheless, Thornton Hall remains within the ownership of the Irish Prison Service and is very much part of the service's plans to increase capacity.

Works on the site at Thornton Hall to provide accommodation for IP applicants are paused temporarily following recent legal proceedings. My Department revoked the ministerial order put in place for the site and plans to develop a replacement order over the coming months. The site remains secured and my Department hopes to recommence work there as soon as possible. I re-emphasise that Thornton Hall is an important part of my response and the Government's response to the overcrowding crisis.