Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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342. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps she is taking to address the unsuitable detention of immigration detainees in prisons and the need for a specifically designed centre for immigration detainees with specific immigration rules in accordance with the Council of Europe anti-torture committee's seventh periodic visit report on Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42793/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Oversight and evaluation are important elements in developing and improving our penal system and I welcome the recent publication of the report from the Council of Europe Committee on the Prevention of Torture (CPT), together with the responses returned by Ireland in respect of the issues raised by the Committee.

As the Deputy, one area highlighted by the Committee for attention is the issue of immigration detention facilities.

At the time of visit of the Committee work was being completed on Block F in Cloverhill prison. It was proposed that, upon completion, Block F could be used to accommodate persons detained for immigration purposes so that they would be separate from other remand prisoners.

The outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic required significant measures within IPS to manage and control infection risk, and it was necessary to re-purpose Block F as an isolation unit for those prisoners who have, or are suspected of having, the virus. It is intended that when the pandemic is over, Block F will revert to its original intended use, subject to the availability of staff and the impact on resources.

Work is also proceeding on the consideration of a longer term sustainable and compliant solution. However, there are complex issues arising and it is envisaged that a detailed assessment of the feasibility of the various options will be required.

In addition, my Department is preparing additional legislative safeguards for the provision of legal representation in new legislation on police powers of search, arrest and detention.

Finally and as outlined in the response by the Government to the Committee, I have committed to providing updates on progress on these matters to the Committee in due course.