Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 47: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the interim measures he plans to take or has taken to address the overcrowding currently in Irish prisons; the criteria an inmate must satisfy to be granted an early release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11720/11]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 53: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to address overcrowding in prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11889/11]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 59: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to tackle overcrowding in prisons. [11726/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 47, 53 and 59 together.

There has been a significant increase in the total prisoner population in Ireland over recent years and as of 13 May 2011, there were 4,490 prisoners in custody and 835 on temporary release. The number on temporary release equates to 15.3% of the total prisoner population. There were 229 prisoners in custody serving sentences of less than 6 months and 389 serving sentences of between 6 to 12 months.

I am conscious of the level of overcrowding in our prisons and the impact that it has on services to prisoners. However simply increasing those numbers on Temporary Release to deal with overcrowding is not acceptable.

Measures have been and are being taken to both upgrade our prison capacity but also to ensure that alternatives to custody are available and used to deal with those where a custodial sentence is not necessary.

The State has been engaged in an ongoing capital programme with almost 600 additional prisoner spaces constructed and brought into use since January 2008. The construction of a new accommodation block at the Midlands prison will provide a potential 300 spaces, a new kitchen and work training/education block, and an extension to the visits/reception areas. It is planned to have the new block fully commissioned by mid 2012. A contract was awarded in late 2010 for the provision of 70 dormitory style spaces for female prisoners at the Dóchas Centre within the Mountjoy Campus which is due to be completed by end August 2011. The Irish Prison Service is also currently engaged in a project to upgrade and re-commission 36 cells with in-cell sanitation coming on stream by mid 2011 in the basement of the "C" Wing at Mountjoy Prison.

The Fines Act 2010 introduces a number of measures to prevent the automatic imprisonment of fine defaulters. In particular it has provisions dealing with capacity to pay, payment by instalments, recovery by appointment of a receiver and community service in default of payment of a fine. I intend to introduce further measures which will allow recovery by means of attachment of earnings orders.

One of the first Bills I brought before this House was the Criminal Justice (Community Service) (Amendment) Bill. It will require judges to consider imposing Community Service in any case where the appropriate sentence would otherwise be a custodial one of up to 12 months imprisonment. I also have asked my officials to look at a scheme where suitable long term prisoners might have the last period of their custodial sentence replaced by a form of Community Service.

The Deputy may also be aware that I recently established a committee to examine the need for new prison accommodation and they are to report by July. I look forward to considering their views.

The criteria for determining the temporary release of a prisoner are set out in section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1960 as amended by the Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Act 2003. Candidates for temporary release are identified by a number of different means but primarily on the recommendation of the Prison Governor or the therapeutic services in the prisons. A primary concern is public safety.