Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 194: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prison cells currently accommodating one prisoner only; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28785/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The are currently 1,597 cells/rooms accommodating one prisoner only, throughout the prison estate. However, this can change on a daily basis depending on the number of committals the prisons receive from the courts. This figure does not include prisoners held in special observation/close supervision cells.

In addition some prisons/places of detention have dormitory style accommodation. In the case of Castlerea Prison, 55 prisoners are held in a group of domestic scale houses in "The Grove" which is regarded as residential type accommodation.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 195: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners at each prison location in each of the past 12 months to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28786/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the number of prisoners in custody on 24 June 2010 was 4,311. The information relating to the number of persons in custody for the previous 12 months is set out in the table for the same date approximately each month.

The Irish Prison Service must accept all prisoners committed by the Courts who are independent in the exercise of their functions. As I have indicated to the House on previous occasions 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 429. This represents a 11% increase in the numbers in custody.

The Inspector of Prisons, in his 2008 Annual Report, acknowledged that overcrowding in prisons is an international problem, not just unique to Ireland. To deal with the issue of increasing prisoner numbers the Irish Prison Service - with the full support of Government - has progressed a prisons building programme which has provided close to 1,800 new prison spaces since 1997. This is a significant investment by any standard and our prison investment will continue.

Current projects will see in excess 200 prison spaces provided in the short term by means of the opening of a new completed 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. Also in the short term, work is due to commence on converting an administrative building on the Dóchas site into a new accommodation block. This accommodation will provide approximately 50 spaces and is due to be completed later this year.

The new prison campus at Thornton Hall, County Dublin 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.