Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 498: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the procedure by which a prisoner may apply for a transfer to a different prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29195/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Applications for transfer to an alternate facility within the prison estate are received primarily on the recommendation of the Prison Governor or the therapeutic services in the prisons. The prisoner, their family or their legal representative can also apply for consideration of such a request. As a guiding principle, the Irish Prison Service attempts to place prisoners in the location nearest to their family home. This principle is of course subject to appropriate security considerations, operational and legislative requirements. Factors taken into account include length of sentence, nature of offence, medical needs, drug dependency, conflict with other prisoners, behaviour while in custody, the age of the prisoner, previous criminal record, engagement with the various services and of course available spaces.