Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 646: 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. [31038/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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On 15 September, 2009 there were 3,895 prisoners in custody compared to a bed capacity of 3,947. This represented a 99% occupancy rate. The following table provides a breakdown of the population of each prison/place of detention on 15 September, 2009:

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. There are contingency plans in place in all of our prisons to deal with peak population numbers. This Government has been engaged in a major prisons capital programme which has seen 1400 additional spaces introduced over the last 12 years, including Castlerea, Cloverhill, Limerick, the Midlands and the Dóchas Centre. A new 100 space accommodation block recently opened in Castlerea. Furthermore, current projects will also provide the potential for an additional 450 prison spaces during 2009 by means of:

a new block in Portlaoise Prison which will have the potential to accommodate approximately 200 prisoners;

a new block in Wheatfield which will also have the potential to accommodate approximately 200 prisoners;

opening the separation unit in Mountjoy Prison which will have the potential to accommodate 50 prisoners.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 647: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the 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. [31039/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will recall in my answer to him on this subject on the 12th of May this year, the Irish Prison Service has engaged the University of Limerick to compile a projection of prisoner numbers. This study will serve to inform both my Department and the Irish Prison Service on matters relevant to the prisons estate in the future. The project is continuing and its findings are awaited.