Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 213: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of members of organised crime gangs currently serving prison sentences; the extent to which their ability to operate their empires from prison is being curtailed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33254/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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It is not possible to give the statistics requested by the Deputy. Prisoners on committal to prison do not declare their allegiance to individual gangs. Unlike, for example, paramilitary organisations, membership of criminal gangs fluctuate on a continuous basis with some persons breaking links and others becoming affiliated.

I can nevertheless advise the Deputy that a number of recent initiatives have been introduced with a view to preventing identified gang leaders from conducting their business while in custody and also to prevent them exerting inappropriate influence over other persons. For example, a number of serious criminal gang members are now segregated in a specific area of Cloverhill Prison. In addition, the pilot mobile phone blocking scheme in the Midlands Prison is now nearing completion with the expectation that inhibitors will be installed in all our closed prisons over the next 18 to 24 months.

Other security initiatives have been introduced which make it more difficult for prisoners to engage in illegal activities while in prison. These initiatives include the introduction of passive drug dogs, the installation of airport style security including scanners, x-ray machines, etc., and the establishment of an Operational Support Group. A core function of this group is to gather and collate intelligence information on criminal gang members in our prisons and to carry out intelligence led searches on them.