Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 580: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners here; the number in each institution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15312/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that on 16 April 2010 there were 4,187 prisoners in custody. The breakdown of the population per prison is listed in the table below:

As the Deputy will appreciate the Irish Prison Service must accept all prisoners committed by the Courts into its custody and do not have the option of refusing committals. 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 352. This represents over 9% of a rise in the number in custody.

The Irish Prison Service has been engaged in an extensive programme of investment in prisons infrastructure which has involved both the modernisation of the existing estate and the provision of extra prison spaces. Since 1997 in excess of 1,720 new 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, Portlaoise and Castlerea prisons and at the open centres in Shelton Abbey and Loughan House.

More recently the re-opening of the Separation Unit in Mountjoy provided an additional 50 spaces. Current projects will see a further 200 prison spaces provided in the short term by means of a new block in Wheatfield Prison. In addition, work is expected to commence in late 2010 on a new accommodation block in the Portlaoise/Midlands prisons complex which will provide 300 prison spaces.

Of course, in the longer term the Thornton campus will provide modern, regime focussed accommodation and combined with the Kilworth development - replacing Cork Prison - the State will have provided for significant, quantifiable improvements across our prison estate.