Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 86: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners in jails at the latest date for which figures are available; the number of occasions during the past five years on which the prison population has exceeded 4,000; the steps that are being taken to deal with prison overcrowding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19611/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that on 10 May 2010 there were 4,214 prisoners in custody. The breakdown of the population per prison is listed in the table below:

The number of persons in custody exceeded 4,000 for the first time on 9 October 2009. However it is only since the middle of November 2009 that the number in custody has consistently exceeded 4,000 on a daily basis. 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 308. This represents an approximate 8% 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. Current projects will see a further 200 prison spaces provided in the short term by means of a new block in Wheatfield. In addition, we hope to proceed in late 2010 with a new accommodation block in the Portlaoise/Midlands prisons complex which will provide 300 prison spaces in the medium term.

The Deputy will also be aware of the Government's commitment to developing a new prison campus at Thornton Hall, County Dublin. The new prison facility will provide accommodation for 1,400 cells with operational flexibility to accommodate up to 2,200 in a range of security settings. The development is now proceeding on a phased basis with phase one comprising essential enabling works required for the development including the construction of the dedicated access road, perimeter wall and off-site services. Tenders for the construction of the access road were published in March of this year and tenders for the construction of the perimeter wall will be published in September. Phase 2 will include the development of the main prison campus. The detailed appraisal is underway in accordance with Department of Finance Capital Expenditure Guidelines and the new business case is at an advanced stage of preparation.