Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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122. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the details of members of each local suicide and self-harm prevention group in each Irish prison; and the number of times and the dates each of those groups has met during each year since their establishment. [39908/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Prison Service has advised me that the circumstances of each death in custody and incident of self-harm are examined by a suicide prevention group in each institution. The groups are chaired by a Prison Governor, and include representatives from the various services, which can include the Prison Doctor, Psychiatry, Psychology, Chaplaincy, Probation, Education, and Prison staff. The Groups are required to meet quarterly, or more often if necessary.

Their examinations fully cover the background and circumstances of each death. Their objective is to identify, where possible, measures which might be implemented to contribute to a reduction in the risk of deaths in the future. In addition, the National Suicide and Harm Prevention Steering Group chaired by the Director General, Irish Prison Service, provides a forum for collating the reports of the local Suicide Prevention Committees and disseminating significant findings throughout the prison system.