Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 32: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the call made by the Irish Prison Officers' Association for more sniffer dogs to prevent drugs being smuggled into prisons, particularly to check vehicles entering prisons; his plans to respond to this call; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19591/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the call by the Prison Officers' Association for more sniffer dogs. In June 2007, the Government approved the resources necessary to introduce a range of security measures to target the routes whereby contraband such as drugs, weapons and mobile phones are trafficked into our prisons. One such measure was the establishment of a Drug Detection Dog Service comprising 25 teams in operation right across the prison estate. I am advised by the Director General of the Irish Prison Service that the introduction of this drug detection initiative has been a huge success and has made significant finds of drugs at source.

There are 2 new handlers in training which will bring the total number of handlers to 28.