Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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291. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when the Inspector of Prisons will be in a position to update bed capacity for Mountjoy, Cloverhill, Wheatfield and Cork prisons. [37334/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Inspector of Prisons was established on a statutory basis under Part 5 of the Prisons Act, 2007.

A new Inspector of Prisons, Ms Patricia Gilheaney, was appointed in May this year. She has an important role in ensuring an effective independent oversight of our prison system.

It had been the practice of Ms. Gilheaney's predecessor to make an estimate of the capacity of each prison based on methodology as set out in his 2010 report entitled "The Irish Prison Population - an examination of duties and obligations owed to prisoners" which is available on .

In relation to the prisons cited in the question, it will be appreciated that the capacity can change arising from modernisation and extensive refurbishment. For example, the new Cork Prison opened in 2016. The Deputy will appreciate that the Inspector of Prisons is independent of me in the performance of her statutory functions and it is a matter for her to determine how and when an update of the bed capacities will be undertaken.