Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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242. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 266 of 5 December 2017, if he will clarify that while the absolute numbers of prisoners on restricted regimes have decreased, the percentage of prisoners on restricted regimes has doubled between October 2013 and October 2017. [54017/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by my officials in the Irish Prison Service that the census of July 2013 recorded a total prisoner population of 4,180, 339 of which were subject to a restricted regime. Of this 339, 211 prisoners were on 22/23 hour lock up, a further 65 prisoners were on 21 hour lock up and 63 prisoners were on 19 hour lock up.

The October 2017 census reported a total prisoner population of 3,665. Of this figure, 428 prisoners were subject to a restricted regime. This included a total of 9 prisoners on 22/23 hour lock up, a reduction of 202 on the July 2013 figures. I wish to advise the Deputy that the total of 428 also includes 379 prisoners who had voluntarily requested protection under Rule 63.

The Prison Rules 2007 provide that the imposition of restricted regimes is closely monitored by the Irish Prison Service (IPS). The key statistics concerning prisoners on restricted regimes are collated by the IPS Statistics Unit for publication quarterly on its website (www.irishprisons.ie), under Census of Restricted Regime Prisoners July 2013 to October 2017.