Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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509. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if prisoners in Mountjoy Prison are disallowed from writing and receiving letters due to Covid-19 restrictions; if they are on 23-hour lock up as a result of same; if family members are allowed to bring personal items for prisoners; if counselling and rehabilitation services are suspended; when normal services will resume; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29335/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I can advise the Deputy that an outbreak of Covid-19 was confirmed in Mountjoy Prison on 7 May, 2021. This was the most serious outbreak to occur within the prison system to date and resulted in 38 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the general prisoner population.

The outbreak was managed in line with the Prison Service Contingency Plan for the Management of Covid-19, which sets out the actions and measures to be implemented in such situations. The outbreak was managed by an Outbreak Control Team, led by the Director General, and was successfully contained, once identified, resulting in the return of a more normal regime on 21 May, 2021.

I am advised by the Prison Service that prisoners continue to send and receive post throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. During the mass testing process which occurs during an outbreak, however, all outgoing post is suspended.

During the outbreak in Mountjoy Prison, incoming post continued to be accepted, was reviewed by the Censor’s Office and delivered as normal. I am also pleased to advise the Deputy that as the prison has exited from the outbreak regime, the outgoing postal services within the prison are again operating as normal.

With regard to prisoner property, I am also advised that, due to infection control restrictions, and the fact that physical visits remained suspended, it is currently the case that family members cannot drop prisoner property off at the prison. Property is only accepted by post and all property is quarantined for seven days before distribution to prisoners.

In accordance with the Contingency Plan, in situations where there is a positive case in the general prison population, all prisoner movement in a prison is restricted while testing, contact tracing and assessment of the risk of the spread of the infection continues. Prisoners involved in the provision of services within the prison (kitchen, laundry etc.) continue to work with an enhanced level of PPE providing they are not a close contact of any confirmed case. Prisoners are fed and medicated at their door and are permitted to leave their cell in a controlled manner to make telephone calls.

Once the results of first round testing of all prisoners and all staff are received, any prisoners with negative test results have a degree of regime restored which strives to meet the minimum out of cell time provision of two hours. Positive prisoners and their close contacts are isolated or quarantined in accordance with HSE guidance.

The measures implemented by the Prison Service have impacted the traditional manner of service delivery by the Psychology and Addiction Counselling Services. Notwithstanding the challenges imposed by managing traditionally close-contact services during a pandemic, it is important to note that these services have not been suspended at anytime to date. The Prison Service continues to provide a range of therapeutic, support and counselling services to prisoners. The primary forms of counselling are provided by the Prison Service Psychology Service and the Merchant’s Quay Ireland Addiction Counselling Service. These services have remained in place throughout the pandemic.

The restrictions imposed by Covid-19 have required the development of new ways of working to support prisoners. These prisoner support services have adapted working arrangements to respond innovatively to maximise opportunities for prisoner engagement by employing a combination of mediums including telephony, video-link and one-to-one contact, where deemed clinically necessary.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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510. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the way a prisoner can apply for enhanced remission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29346/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the principles governing the awarding of remission are contained within Rule 59 of Statutory Instrument no 252 of 2007 (the Prison Rules), as amended by Statutory Instrument No 385 of 2014.

In summary, prisoners sentenced to a term of imprisonment, with the exception of prisoners without a determined sentence, for example life sentence prisoners, qualify for one quarter remission on the basis of good behaviour.

In addition, prisoners who have engaged in authorised structured activity may apply to receive enhanced remission of greater than one quarter but not exceeding one third of their sentence, as may be determined by the Minister. In order to grant a prisoner enhanced remission, the Minister must be satisfied that the prisoner is less likely to re-offend and is better able to re-integrate into the community.

A prisoner can apply to the Minister for Justice for Enhanced Remission under Rule 59 of Statutory Instrument no 252 of 2007 (the Prison Rules), as amended by Statutory Instrument No 385 of 2014 by completing an Enhanced Remission Application Form, which is available in all prisons.  An acknowledgement letter is then sent to the prisoner informing them of receipt of their application and an approximate date on which a decision will be made on the Enhanced Remission Application.

I can further advise the Deputy that if the application is approved the prisoner will receive a letter informing them of their new release date from the Minister. If the application is declined, a letter will also issue to the prisoner informing them of this decision.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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511. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when counselling services will be reinstated for prisoners; the way rehabilitation services are accessed prior to release; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29347/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service has advised that it provides a range of therapeutic, support and counselling services to prisoners. These services remain in place throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to contain the risk of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic, a range of measures, including restrictions on the type of access to prisons and prisoners has been required to protect the prison population in line with public health advice. These measures have impacted the traditional manner of service delivery by the Psychology and Addiction Counselling Services. However, notwithstanding the challenges imposed by managing traditionally close-contact services during a pandemic, it is important to note that these services have not been suspended at any time to date.

The restrictions imposed by COVID-19 have required the development of new ways of working to support prisoners. Prisoner support services have adapted working arrangements to respond innovatively to maximise opportunities for prisoner engagement by employing a combination of mediums including telephony, video-link and one-to-one contact, where deemed clinically necessary.

Throughout the public health crisis, every attempt has been made, and continues to be made, to maintain psychological, addiction and other counselling services for those with an identified need. All prisons and prison-based services have displayed flexibility and adaptability and have used all mediums available to engage with the prison population.

In order to maintain a safe environment and limit the spread of infection for prisoners and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has not been possible to permit access to prisons for some additional external community-based offender support, and peer support services and programmes.

However, where possible, video-link appointments with some of these community-based services have been facilitated in line with the recommendations of the community integration plan and identified needs of the particular prisoner.

Access to prisons for external services remains under continuous review and will be guided by public health advice to minimise the risk of infection to people who live and work in prisons.

In terms of accessing rehabilitative services prior to release, the Prison Service has dedicated prison officers called Integrated Sentence Management (ISM) Coordinators which are operational in all prisons and open centres. Additional ISM Coordinators work in partnership with the Probation Service to manage prisoners selected for participation in the Joint Agency Response to Crime, Community Support and Community Return Schemes.

These Integrated Sentence Management Coordinators are supported by prison management and the prison-based multi-disciplinary team, which includes the Psychology Service, the Education Service, the Work Training Service, the Chaplaincy Service, the Probation Service, the Training & Employment Service, the Resettlement Service, the Addiction Service and the Healthcare team, who work together with operational staff to deliver sentence management and services to prisoners.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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512. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to groups providing advocacy services to prisoners currently serving sentences; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29348/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Prison Service currently has a range of rehabilitative, therapeutic and counselling services available for prisoners at all times. I can inform the Deputy that I am also aware that prisoners have access to some additional external community based in-reach services who provide community-based offender support, and peer support services and programmes.

The Deputy will understand that in line with public health guidelines and to limit the spread of Covid-19 within our prisons, in-person visits have had to be suspended periodically over the past year. As such, since the start of the pandemic, it has not always been possible to permit consistent access to prisons for the external community-based organisations. 

The Irish Prison Service is currently carrying out a risk assessment to determine when and how the restrictions put in place in recent months can be eased, while controlling the risk of the spread of infection and ensuring good order and security in the prisons.

The risk assessment currently being undertaken includes reviewing the physical access for community-based organisations that provide in-reach services to prisons, including Traveller peer support services, prison links workers and visitor centre supports. Where possible, video-link appointments with some of the external community-based services have been facilitated in line with the recommendations of the prisoner’s sentence plan and identified needs. 

It should be noted that prison-based services, including prisoner healthcare, training and education services, psychology, addiction counselling services and resettlement services continue to be available within the prisons. To mitigate against the impact of these services not being consistently available in a traditional manner, I understand the Prison Service has put in place a dedicated phone service for prisoners to reach out to chaplains, psychologists and addiction counsellors and that it has increased the use of technology to ensure these essential services continue.

The Prison Service has continued to facilitate access to prisons and prisoners for those organisations with a statutory role such as the Office of the Inspector of Prisons and Prison Visiting Committees to ensure continued oversight during the pandemic.

If there is a particular advocacy group the Deputy would like to bring to my attention and that of the Prison Service I would be happy to receive that information.