Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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485. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the number of permanent doctors allocated to the Midlands Prison for day shifts dropped from two to one between 2012 and 2013 and has not been increased in the intervening years despite the fact that the population of the prison has grown from 616 in 2012 to 830 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36220/18]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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486. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the number of permanent doctors allocated to the Midlands Prison for night shifts dropped from two to one between 2012 and 2013 and has not been increased in the intervening years despite the fact that the population of the prison has grown from 616 in 2012 to 830 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36221/18]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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487. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the recommendation in a report commissioned by the Irish Prison Service (details supplied) that there should be one doctor for every 250 inmates has been implemented; and if not, the reason therefor. [36222/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 485 to 487, inclusive, together.

I have been advised by the Irish Prison Service that all persons in custody are provided with a range of healthcare services based on an equivalence of care to that which is provided under the General Medical Scheme in the community.  Those services are based on the primary care model, and includes general practitioner services made available to all persons in custody.

The Irish Prison Service directly employs one permanent doctor in Midlands Prison and provides two locum doctors on an ongoing basis, by way of its contract agreement for the provision of locum GP services across the prison estate, with additional cover provided at weekends.

The Irish Prison Service continues to monitor the ratio of prisoners to doctor’s in each prison setting. In determining appropriate medical cover account is taken of a number of factors including, inter alia, other primary and secondary care resourcing, the age and presenting health status of the prisoner population, and the level of mental health and addiction need.