Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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459. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of workshops and classes available in Wheatfield place of detention; the names of the workshops and classes; the days on which each of these were open or closed in May and June 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35208/17]

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 includes 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.

Specifically in relation to Wheatfield Place of Detention, I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that Wheatfield School was closed on the following days in May and June due to officer shortages: Friday 12th May, Friday 26th May, Thursday 29th June and Friday 30th June. However, Wheatfield Prison management have always endeavoured to keep Wheatfield School open.

The classes available in Wheatfield include Open University Study Skills, Literacy, English for Junior Cert, Spelling, QQI Computers, General Art, QQI Art, Multi-Media, QQI Pottery, Geography for Junior Cert, Beginners Irish, Communications, Mosaics, Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Graphics, Parents Plus, Crime Awareness, Personal Effectiveness, Creative Writing, Yoga, Drama, Spanish for Beginners, English Speaking for Other Languages (ESOL), Gym, Pyrography, Drawing, Computer Aided Design (CAD), Tech Graphics, Relaxation Techniques, QQI Visual Art, Leaving Cert Maths, Guitar for Beginners, Music Theory, Pre Release Class, Leather, Fabric/Crafts, Horticulture and Statistics.

On Mondays and Tuesdays there are four class timeslots commencing at 9:15am, 10:30am, 2:15pm and 5.30pm. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, there are three class timeslots commencing at 9:15am, 10:30am and 2.15pm.

Below are details of the 15 training workshops available in Wheatfield, the skills areas taught in each of them and the number of sessions in which the workshops were open or closed in May and June this year.

Wheatfield Workshop List and Open/Closed Sessions (a session is a morning or an afternoon)

May

June