Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 441: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to prevent future outbreaks of tuberculosis, TB, and other illnesses in prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35683/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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All prisoners are medically assessed on committal to prison. The initial health screen is used as an opportunity to develop care plans, make appropriate referrals as necessary and offer advice on various aspects of health care. Health promotion among prisoners is a key priority for the Irish Prison Service.

The Irish Prison Service has adopted a protocol for the management of Tuberculosis in prison. A high level of awareness is applied by health care staff to all committals. A similar level of awareness is applied to those who are known to be immuno-compromised or originate from regions where Tuberculosis has high prevalence rates. On committal, prisoners are asked specific questions that may be indicative of pulmonary Tuberculosis infection.

The Department of Public Health in the Health Service Executive manage any incidents of Tuberculosis in prisons and engage in contact tracing if deemed necessary. The contact tracing involves individual risk assessments, which include the time spent with an infectious case and the vulnerability of individuals being risk assessed. Any identified infectious Tuberculosis case will be immediately transferred to hospital and will not return to prison until it is confirmed that the patient is no longer infectious.

The Irish Prison Service and the Health Service Executive have worked collaboratively in raising awareness of Tuberculosis among staff and prisoners in all prisons. Prison specific Tuberculosis guidance (prepared by Public Health, Health Service Executive and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre) has been circulated to all staff across the prison estate.