Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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296. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of hours and days per week that schools are currently open per prison; the number of prisoners attending school in each prison; and the extent to which staff shortages are resulting in school closures. [32283/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am advised that the Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes to those in custody that include education, vocational training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These programmes can offer purposeful activity to those in custody while serving their sentences and encouraging them to lead law abiding lives on release. These programmes are available in all prisons and all people in custody are eligible to use the services.

The development of prisoner programmes forms a central part of the Irish Prison Service Three Year Strategic Plan 2016 - 2018. There is a clear commitment in the Strategy to enhance sentence planning through Integrated Sentence Management and the delivery of prison based rehabilitative programmes.

As well as seeking to draw on best practice in adult and further education in the community, there has been a lot of curriculum development over the years that is specific to prison circumstances, such as courses on addiction, health issues and offending behaviour.

The Department of Education and Skills provides an allocation of 220 whole time teacher equivalents to the Prison Service through the Education and Training Boards (ETB). Education in prisons is delivered in partnership between the ETBs and the Irish Prison Service with a focus on providing education which is quality assured, student centred and which facilitates lifelong learning. The partnership endeavours to meet the needs of students through helping them cope with their sentence, achieve personal development and prepare for life after release. A broad and flexible curriculum is provided which ranges from basic literacy classes and peer-led tutoring to Open University. There is an increasing focus on QQI accreditation as the modular structure best meets the needs of students in prison. On some occasions, people in custody may have to wait for a place to become available on an educational programme.

In general prison cells are unlocked at approximately 8.15 am each morning for breakfast. People in custody collect breakfast and return to cells, which are then locked from 8.45 a.m. to 9.15 a.m. Cells are again unlocked for those in custody to attend work, school , visits and exercise. People in custody return for lunch at 12 noon and cells are locked at 12.30 p.m. Afternoon unlock commences at 2.15 p.m. and people in custody return to structured activities in schools, workshops and visits. Evening tea is served from 4 p.m. and cells are locked from 4.30 p.m. to 5.20 p.m. when evening recreation commences until all cells are locked at 7.30 p.m.

The Irish Prison Service advises that 42% of the people in custody during the month of March 2017 participated in Education activities. See table outlining participation figures for March 2017.

The Prison Service advises that there has been a small number of closures of schools in recent months, due to staff shortages, however complete closure of Prison Education Centres is infrequent and Prison Governors only close the entire school when there is no other option.

It should also be noted that the levels of access to services by prisoners is dependent on staffing levels on any particular day. Prisons may experience staffing shortfalls on any given day for a number of reasons, including the number of escorts of prisoners to court or prisoners being admitted to hospital which requires staff to leave the prison. On such occasions, prisons are now implementing Regime Management plans which help to ensure that access to services is maximised by directing resources at those prisoners wishing to avail of Work training and other regimes and through the implementation of a number of operational measures such as staggered feeding times for prisoners and rotational unlock of landings.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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297. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the access that prisoners held on restricted regimes have to training and education, specifically in Wheatfield place of detention and Mountjoy Prison. [32284/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I can advise the Deputy that the restriction of a prisoner's regime can occur due to a number of factors including the protection of vulnerable prisoners. This is provided for under Rule 63 of the Prison Rules 2007. A prisoner may, either at his or her own request or when the Governor considers it necessary, in so far as is practicable and subject to the maintenance and good order and safe and secure custody, be kept separate from other prisoners who are reasonably likely to cause significant harm to him/her.

In addition, the Governor may decide, for the maintenance of good order in the prison, to remove a prisoner from general association or structured activity to reduce the negative effect that a prisoner or prisoners may have on the general population. This is provided for under Rule 62 of the Prison Rules 2007. There may also be a smaller number of prisoners who would be restricted for medical (Rule 64) or discipline reasons (Rule 67).

Wheatfield Place of Detention provides education to prisoners on a restricted regime who wish to engage with education. Each group from the different landings can access education at different time slots and on different days during the week.

Prisoners on a restricted regime in Wheatfield Place of Detention can also avail of access to exercise, training, gymnasium, library and recreation. All of the activities that are available to other prisoners in open association are provided to this cohort of prisoners in so far as it is practicable, taking into account security and safety concerns daily. The periods of activity are allocated and rotated to share out as evenly as possible the periods of the day, that is, morning, afternoon and evening.

Within Mountjoy Prison, the prisoners in the High Support Unit, prisoners on Detox Programmes and those on Protection are on restricted regimes. These prisoners are provided with access to the Mountjoy Prison education centre - those on Detox Programmes attend education all day Monday; the rest of the week is devoted to the detox programmes so Monday is the only free time available for education and this is scheduled into their weekly detox programme. Education, cookery classes and mindfulness meditation are provided in the High Support Unit.

Classes are provided to Protection prisoners in Mountjoy Prison on Tuesday and Friday mornings and those prisoners are provided with reading materials, education and art resources. In relation to access to Work Training, protection prisoners in Mountjoy accommodated on the A wing have access to training in computers and industrial skills.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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298. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners in the closed prison estate that have daily access to a minimum of seven hours of educational and vocational programmes from Monday to Friday. [32285/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that it endeavours to allow prisoners to spend as much time as possible each day out of their cell or room. Rule 27(3) of the Prison Rules 2007 states "In so far as is practicable, each convicted prisoner should be engaged in authorised structured activity for a period of not less than five hours on each of five days in each week".

In general prison cells are unlocked at approximately 8.15 a.m. each morning for breakfast. Prisoners collect breakfast and return to cells, which are then locked from 8.45am to 9.15am, when cells are again unlocked so that they can attend work, school, visits and exercise. They return for lunch at 12 noon and cells are locked at 12.30 p.m. Afternoon unlock commences at 2.15 p.m. and people in custody return to structured activities in schools, workshops and visits. Evening tea is served from 4 p.m. and cells are locked from 4.30 p.m. to 5.20 p.m. when evening recreation commences until all cells are locked at 7.30 p.m.

I am further advised by the Irish Prison Service that it provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes to persons in custody that include education, vocational training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These programmes offer purposeful activity to those in custody while serving their sentences and encourage them to lead law abiding lives on release. These programmes are available in all prisons and all persons in custody are eligible to use the services.

It should also be noted that the levels of access to services by prisoners is dependent on staffing levels on any particular day. Prisons may experience staffing shortfalls on any given day for a number of reasons, including the number of escorts of prisoners to court or prisoners being admitted to hospital which requires staff to leave the prison. On such occasions, prisons are now implementing Regime Management plans which help to ensure that access to services is maximised by directing resources at those prisoners wishing to avail of Work training and other regimes and through the implementation of a number of operational measures such as staggered feeding times for prisoners and rotational unlock of landings.