Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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105. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 292 of 18 September 2018, his views on the measures to reduce the number of prisoners on restricted regimes in view of the fact that the number has increased from 339 in 2013 to 536 in July 2018; and his plans to review the current policy. [39252/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that I am satisfied that every effort is being taken by my officials in the Irish Prison Service to reduce the number of prisoners on restricted regimes.

The Deputy will be aware that there are a number of serious gangland feuds occurring in Dublin and elsewhere leading to serious crimes being committed and persons being sentenced to imprisonment for committing those crimes. The tensions being generated on the ‘outside’ are imported into the prison system resulting in an increase in tension and a feeling among prisoners that they do not wish to mix with the general population in individual prisons. The emergence of these feuds, coupled with other factors has resulted in greater numbers of prisoners seeking ‘protection’. While every reasonable effort is being taken to encourage prisoners to mix within the general population, it is also the case that there is no provision available to ‘force’ prisoners off protection. The vast majority of prisoners on protection are there at their own request.

The Director General of the Irish Prison Service continues to Chair a high-level group which considers various measures to reduce the number of prisoners held on restricted regimes, which includes prisoners on protection. Since the introduction of the quarterly Census of Restricted Regime Prisoners the number of prisoners on 22/23 hour restricted regime has actually decreased by 176 or 83% from 211 in July 2013 to 35 in July 2018.