Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 325: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the prisoner capacity of each prison; the number of prisoners held in each prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28660/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that as of 6 July, 2009 there were 3,786 permanent beds available in the prison system. On the same day there were 3,908 prisoners in custody. This represented an occupancy level of 103%. The following table provides a breakdown of the population of each prison/place of detention on 6 July, 2009:

It is the case that there has been a consistent increase in the total prisoner population over recent years. This situation is particularly apparent over the past 12 months during which time the total number in custody has increased by 309. This represents a 8.6% rise in the number in custody.

There are a number of reasons for this increase. In particular with the extra resources provided by this Government, the Garda Síochána has been increasingly successful in prosecuting criminals and extra court sittings have resulted in higher committal rates.

There has been significant investment in the criminal justice system in recent years, not least in the prison system. Indeed, the Irish Prison Service has been engaged in an extensive programme of investment in prisons infrastructure. This has involved both the modernisation of the existing estate and the provision of extra prison spaces.

Since 1997 in excess of 1,400 prison spaces have come on stream in the prison system. These include the new prisons in Castlerea, the Midlands, Cloverhill, the Dóchas Centre and new accommodation in Limerick Prison.

Despite this significant investment, it is quite clear that, in some of our prisons, we are operating in excess of our bed capacity at this time. However, in the short to medium term this issue will be addressed by the provision of 400 prison spaces by mid 2009 by means of:

• a new remand block in Castlerea Prison which will accommodate approximately 104 prisoners which opened in June;

• a new block in Portlaoise Prison which will accommodate approximately 150 prisoners and which is due to open at the end of July; and

• a new block in Wheatfield Prison which will accommodate 150 prisoners due to be completed in the Autumn.