Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners granted day, special, compassionate or other release in each of the past three years and to date in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46513/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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It is not possible to provide figures to the Deputy as requested as this would require the manual examination of records going back over a considerable time period. Such an examination would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort and could not be justified in current circumstances where there are other significant demands on resources.

The Criminal Justice Act 1960, as amended by the Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Act 2003 provides that the Minister may approve the temporary release of a sentenced prisoner. On 7 December 2009 there were 747 prisoners on temporary release. This represented 15.5% of the overall prisoner population for that day. In contrast, the equivalent percentage of prisoners on temporary release for the years 1994 to 1997 was as follows: 1994 - (22.2%), 1995 - (20.2%), 1996 - (17.9%) and 1997 - (19.2%). The daily average figure to date in 2009 for prisoners on temporary release is 519 and this represents 13% of the average daily population figure.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 126: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of known members of criminal gangs released from prison in each of the past five years to date in 2009 prior to serving their full sentence; the number of crimes committed by such persons while on early or special release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46514/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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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. Accordingly, I wish to inform the Deputy that it is not possible to provide the information requested. However, I can say that the granting of temporary release is determined in accordance with a number of factors, including:

the nature and gravity of offence,

the potential threat to the safety and security of the public,

the persons prior criminal record.

The emergence in recent years of criminal gangs has had implications for the management of our prisons. Rivalries and feuds which develop on the outside are being carried over into our institutions. Prison management have to ensure that the various factions are kept apart and, as far as possible, that gang members do not have influence over other inmates or criminal activities outside the prisons. Gang members are being managed on a daily basis through segregation and separation throughout the prison system.

The Irish Prison Service is committed to continuing to implement all appropriate measures to deal with prisoners who may be engaging in criminal activity from inside prison cells and to ensure that the prisoner's contact with the outside world is tightly controlled and monitored in an appropriate way. 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. For example, a number of serious criminal gang members are now segregated in a specific area of Cloverhill Prison.

The Irish Prison Service is currently undertaking trials of three different types of mobile phone inhibitor at 3 separate locations namely Mountjoy and Limerick Prisons and the Midlands / Portlaoise Prison Complex. All three systems are currently undergoing a rigorous evaluation process which includes external independent analysis. The systems in Midlands, Mountjoy and Limerick Prisons are currently live and are working with varying degrees of success. The inhibitor at Portlaoise is still under installation and is currently inactive pending further refinement of software which is unique and site specific. All three trials are continuing and no decision has been made by Irish Prison Service for or against any one mobile phone inhibition provider.

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.