Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 267: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners, broken down by prison, who are being accommodated in cells exceeding their limit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18478/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will appreciate the Irish Prison Service must accept all prisoners committed by the Courts into its custody. Consequently it is not operationally practical to set limits for the number of prisoners held within the prison system.

The Irish Prison Service has been experiencing serious pressure on numbers during the last 12-18 months and in 2008 it became necessary to introduce additional contingency accommodation through the doubling up of cells in Mountjoy, Wheatfield, Cloverhill, Midlands and Arbour Hill Prisons and in the Training Unit. This provided 180 temporary bed spaces. Also in 2008, 70 new prison spaces were introduced at Shelton Abbey and Loughan House Open Centres.

As the pressure shows no sign of abating the Irish Prison Service recently decided to increase their capacities through the doubling up of further cells in Mountjoy, Wheatfield, Cloverhill, Midlands and Arbour Hill Prisons and in the Training Unit, thus creating 200 additional temporary bed spaces, some of which are already in place and others coming on stream shortly.

Furthermore, I am glad to confirm that an additional 400 spaces will come on stream shortly with the completion of building projects in Castlerea, Wheatfield and Portlaoise Prisons. It is my strong view that the continuation of the current capital programme is essential if we are to limit, as far as practicable, overcrowding so that we can accommodate our prisoner population in regime orientated modern prisons.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 268: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will provide details of revised projections received by him from the Irish Prison Service of prisoner numbers and capacity for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18479/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that a review of prisoner population projections is currently underway and a report is expected by the end of this summer. The outcome of this review will inform the Irish Prison Service and my Department on matters relevant to the prison estate.