Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the percentage of the Irish prison population who are in prison as a result of the non-payment of fines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32776/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy that on 26 September, 2008 there was a total of six persons in prison custody held solely on foot of a warrant ordering their imprisonment in default of the non-payment of a fine. The total number of persons in custody on that date was 3,576 meaning that the percentage of prison population in custody for this reason equated to 0.17% of the prison population. Two of these persons were in custody in the Midlands Prison with one person in each of Mountjoy Prison, the Dochas Centre, Loughan House and Castlerea Prison. These persons were in custody for offences including drunken driving, no insurance and failing to make income tax returns. As the above figures indicate, the number of prisoners in this category remains low and this information should dispel any notion that our prisons contain many persons in custody for not paying fines.