Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 92: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of mobile phones that have been seized in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, to date in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19443/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that largely as a result of a rigorous regime of searches at the entry point of the prison the number of mobile phones seized in Mountjoy Prison from 1 January 2010 to 2 May 2010 was 351. Section 36 of the Prisons Act 2007, which was brought into operation on 1 May, 2007, makes it an offence for prisoners to have unauthorised possession of or use of mobile telecommunication devices. Under the Act it is also an offence to supply such a device to a prisoner. The penalties for such an offence, on summary conviction, include a fine not exceeding €5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both, and on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €10,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or both. It is Irish Prison Service policy to report seizures of mobile phones to the Gardaí.

Cell and area searches for contraband such as mobile phones take place in all prisons on a daily basis. These include random, targeted and intelligence led searches. These searches have been particularly effective and local intelligence indicates that the availability of mobile phones has decreased across the prison system. It is important to note that a large percentage of these seizures are not directly from prisoners but are instead retrieved at entry point or before they get to the prisoner population. This is as a direct consequence of the newly introduced security measures.