Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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198. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if it is envisaged that transfers from the Irish Prison Service to other areas of his Department will cease upon the new reorganisation of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19903/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Plans to establish the Irish Prison Service (IPS) as a scheduled office that will also incorporate administrative staff currently employed in my Department are well advanced. Under these arrangements departmental staff in Longford will transfer to the IPS under a transfer of function while staff undertaking IPS duties in Dublin will have the option of being reassigned to other divisions of my Department based in Dublin.

Thereafter, any officers within my Department or the Irish Prison Service would have to progress transfer requests through established transfer mechanisms. However, as the Deputy may be aware, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is developing a central mobility portal which will link all Government Departments to one centralised transfer database, where staff can enter and update their transfer request/s. 

As the Deputy will be aware an external expert group, known as the Effectiveness and Renewal Group (ERG), is currently examining the operation of my Department and is expected to deliver a first report to the Government by the end of June.  In tandem, work is being taken forward in relation to the structure of the Department. Decisions in relation to any reorganisation of my Department will be taken after consideration of the ERG report.

Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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199. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prison staff that have transferred on a full time transfer from other locations within the Irish Prison Service in the grade of prison officer to a location (details supplied) using a monthly or quarterly transfer report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20017/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I have been advised by the Irish Prison Service that the assignment of all staff across the prison estate is done having due regard to the exigencies of the service as a whole and in a way that ensures the optimum allocation of resources. In the main, the Irish Prison Service endeavours to assign Prison Officers through a voluntary transfer process, which is predicated on seniority of service within the grade.

The Irish Prison Service have further advised me that the total number of prison officers who transferred into Portlaoise Prison between 8^thof July 2013 and 15^thDecember 2017 with a pay number greater than 17/6418 is 20.