Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the report on the prison system here, recently issued by Catholic prison chaplains, which described the system as dysfunctional and called for radical changes in the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34528/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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While the Report contains strongly worded criticism of the prison system, in fairness it also rightly recognises the progress that we are making in improving the system and highlights some of the major developments which have take place in the period covered by the Report. In particular, the Report welcomed the significant progress we are making in enhancing the range of rehabilitative services within the prisons and the provision of additional staffing to support these activities including extra nurses and officers to support drug treatment, the awarding of a contract for Addiction Counsellors in the system and the recruitment of additional psychologists. I should also add that well placed senior managers in the Prison Service and my Department would trenchantly reject the suggestion that the Irish Prison System is dysfunctional.

The Irish Prison Service is currently planning for the roll out of Integrated Sentence Management (ISM), which will be funded under the National Development Plan, starting in 2008 and delivered progressively over the lifetime of the Plan. Delivering Integrated Sentence Management is a key task for the Irish Prison Service. ISM will provide for initial assessments, individualised plans and access to services for each prisoner.

The Plan provides funding for the roll out of Integrated Sentence Management throughout the Irish Prison Service estate. ISM will involve a new orientation in the delivery of services to prisoners and a new emphasis on prisoners taking greater personal responsibility for their own development through active engagement with both specialist and non-specialist services in the prisons. The end result should be a prisoner-centred, multidisciplinary approach to working with prisoners with provision for initial assessment, goal setting and periodic review to measure progress. Piloting of this process has commenced in two prisons, and roll out to all prisons in the prisons estate will be achieved progressively over the lifetime of the National Development Plan.

There are a number of issues raised in the Report to which the Deputy refers, which I would like to particularly make reference to. The suggestion that there are only eight spaces available on the Sex Offender Programme does not reflect the reality that the IPS have experienced difficulties in recruiting suitably motivated offenders to this programme in recent years. There is no question of any sex offender who wishes to participate on this programme being denied a place due to the lack of availability. The IPS will provide as many programmes for these offenders as are required. In addition, it should be noted that in addition to the men currently undertaking that programme, circa sixty other sex offenders have participated during the last year in one-to-one work related to their offending.

In relation to reintegration, the Irish Prison Service, in partnership with community based groups, have developed a number of projects supporting prisoner reintegration in recent years. These projects have focused on the range of issues facing prisoners on their release such as homelessness, unemployment etc.

Significant additional resources have been dedicated to enhancing the range and quality of drug treatment services in the prison since the launch of the Irish Prison Service Drugs Policy 'Keeping Drugs Out of Prisons' in 2006. This has included the appointment of additional Addiction Nurses, Psychologists and Prison Officers and the awarding of a contract for the provision of 24 Addiction Counsellors. The range and quality of drug services in prisons has been significantly improved and the Irish Prison Service will continue with their phased implementation of the policy of investing in these services.