Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy O'Callaghan, who is in the Dáil Chamber today.

The Minister is acutely aware of capacity restraints in our prisons and the resulting challenges faced by those who work and live in our prisons. Work to increase capacity has begun. Since 2022, capacity across the prison estate has been increased by 380 new spaces, with 126 delivered in 2024 and 43 delivered to date in 2025, with plans to deliver a further 138 by the end of 2026.

Action is being taken by the Irish Prison Service on a daily basis to manage overcrowding through temporary release. Decisions in relation to temporary release are considered on a case-by-case basis and the safety of the public is paramount when those decisions are made.Following the review of the national development plan, a record capital investment of €495 million is being provided to the Irish Prison Service for a capital building programme over the next five years to deliver on the Government's commitments to expand capacity in our prisons, which will enable the largest ever prison building programme in the State. This funding will allow the delivery of 1,595 spaces between now and 2031. This includes a new prison on the site of the old Cork Prison, a new block in Wheatfield, an additional block extension at Midlands Prison, and additional spaces at Castlerea, Mountjoy and the Dóchas Centre.

Additionally, the Minister sought and secured an exemption for six projects to move straight to approval gate 2 - pre-tender approval of the infrastructure guidelines - and this measure is expected to speed up the delivery of 960 of these spaces by 12 to 18 months. That is a really important point.

Budget 2025 increased overall funding for the Irish Prison Service by €79 million, or 18%, compared to 2024, bringing the total allocated to nearly €525 million. This increase is to fund measures to address overcrowding, including a capital budget of €53 million, which is €22.5 million more than the original 2024 allocation. Supported by the increased budget, the Irish Prison Service also aims to recruit up to 300 prison officers in 2025, in addition to the 271 prison officers recruited in 2024.

The programme for Government also commits to implement electronic tagging for appropriate categories of prisoner. Work is under way to operationalise electronic monitoring in line with existing legislative provisions. It is intended to go to tender for an electronic monitoring provider this year.