Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)

I, too, welcome the children from the school and I hope they have an enjoyable day.

I welcome the Minister back to the House. Like Senator McCormack, I compliment him on his commitment to attending this House. He is setting an example that I hope many of his colleagues will follow.

Without doubt, the Minister has inherited a very busy portfolio and there are many issues on his desk that need immediate attention. I will discuss one that he mentioned in his previous contribution, namely, prison overcrowding. The latest figures show that there are currently 5,348 inmates in Irish prisons, which only have a capacity for 4,666 prisoners. There are also 398 mattresses on floors, while 566 inmates are on temporary release, 113 of whom are serving custodial sentences of six months or more. There is also the serious question of people being given sentences and travelling to prison only to be turned around in what is known as the revolving door system. This practice, as I am sure the Minister will agree, is concerning for the effect that it has on the justice system and the perception of justice in this country among the gardaí, the courts and the general public.

The increase in the prison population has resulted in a large number of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on floors and on the necessary redeployment of staff to landings for safety reasons, thus diverting staff from facilitating educational and rehabilitative services. Not only does overcrowding lead to an increased risk of violence for prisoners, but it also threatens the health and safety of prison officers. Ultimately, there is an increased risk of reoffending and an increased threat to public safety in general. Since the report by the prison overcrowding response group was submitted, the prison population has continued to grow, hitting record numbers with certain prisons consistently experiencing overcrowding significantly beyond that.

The programme for Government commits to implementing electronic tagging for appropriate categories of offenders. I understand that work is under way on scoping out the practical operational considerations of such a move for relevant categories of offenders to inform the next steps. I would be grateful if the Minister could provide an update on where this work stands.

Many other jurisdictions have introduced electronic tagging but I understand that there are concerns. The tagging system currently used in the UK came under scrutiny recently following a BBC exposé on the breakdown of the system and the widescale abuse of prisoners participating in the early release system. I would be grateful if the Minister would outline his Department's plans to ensure that any such breaches of a new plan in Ireland will be dealt with by immediately returning the prisoner in question to prison and imposing other penalties.

I note that many, including the Minister's predecessor, the former Deputy Dermot Ahern, have said it is inevitable - I have heard the current Minister say it many times as well - that, with the increase in the population, we will need more prison places. Even with the best will in the world, though, it will take time to build prison places.We need to come up with creative ideas and greater solutions that can address the problem. For example, electronic tagging can play a significant role in that. Also, as the Minister said, we need to make more use of community service for lesser offences to keep people from going to prison at the outset. We need to be creative with our solutions because, with the best will in the world, it is going to take years to build additional prison spaces. I look forward to the Minister's contribution.