Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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284. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of mobile phones that were confiscated from the prison population to date in 2013 and for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51411/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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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 and hand over seizures of mobile phones to the Gardaí.

Given advances in mobile telecommunications technology, mobile phones are becoming increasingly small in size, which provides the Irish Prison Service with particular challenges in seeking to (i) prevent their entry into prisons and (ii) locate them when smuggled inside. Specialist staff, however, are employed by the Irish Prison Service to combat this problem to the greatest extent possible. Due to improvements in security within our Prisons the number of mobile phones being seized in the previous years has reduced significantly.

I wish also to advise the Deputy that between 1 January 2013 and 13 October 2013, 675 mobile phones had been seized by the staff of the Irish Prison Service.

***Figures for 2013 are to 13 October 2013