Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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1046. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prison officers employed here; the breakdown by place of employment and the ratio of prisoners to prison officers in the same workplaces, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20309/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that, as of 28 July 2020, the total number of staff assigned to both the prisons and support functions in the Irish Prison Service, across all grades is 3,215.  Taking all staff and prisoners into account, this figure equates to a ratio for that date of .85:1.

On 28 July 2020, the number of discipline grade Officers assigned to prisons - which includes the grades of Recruit Prison Officer, Prison Officer, Assistant Chief Officer, Work Training Officer and Chief Officer- stands at 2,472. These are staff assigned directly to work in prisons. This equates to a ratio of .65:1.

The balance of Irish Prison Service staff are assigned to supporting functions such as the Prison Service Escort Corps and the Operational Support Group, the Irish Prison Service College, Building Services Division, and across all prisons to Healthcare (151), senior management (53) and administration (143).

As the Deputy will appreciate, the allocation of staffing across the prison estate is based on the security and operational needs of each individual prison.  The number of staff required is influenced by factors including in particular the numbers in custody, category of prisoner and regimes and a range of other factors, including the risks and needs associated with specific areas and particular offenders.

For security and operational reasons the Irish Prison Service is not in a position to provide a breakdown of the staff resources allocated to individual prisons.