Written answers
Thursday, 25 November 2021
Department of Justice and Equality
Prison Service
Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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319. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of usable cells in each prison and overall across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58189/21]
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service perform a quarterly census of the Prison estate and publish the results on their website, at www.irishprisons.ie/information-centre/statistics-information/census-reports/
I can further advise the Deputy that according to the latest census which was carried out on 19 October 2021 there were 3,211 usable cells across the estate.
Table 1 below provides a breakdown by prison of all usable cells as at 19th October 2021
| Prison | Number in Custody | Useable Cells | One Prisoner | Two Prisoners | Three Prisoners | 4+ Prisoners |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbour Hill | 129 | 115 | 99 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Castlerea | 285 | 244 | 127 | 158 | 0 | 0 |
| Cloverhill | 408 | 206 | 80 | 64 | 228 | 36 |
| Cork | 265 | 170 | 55 | 204 | 6 | 0 |
| Limerick Female | 28 | 24 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Limerick Male | 185 | 146 | 99 | 86 | 0 | 0 |
| Loughan | 94 | 102 | 94 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midlands | 791 | 587 | 355 | 414 | 6 | 16 |
| Mountjoy Female | 119 | 97 | 49 | 70 | 0 | 0 |
| Mountjoy Male | 694 | 755 | 694 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portlaoise | 210 | 267 | 145 | 56 | 9 | 0 |
| Shelton Abbey | 94 | 58 | 37 | 10 | 15 | 32 |
| Wheatfield | 536 | 440 | 284 | 252 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 3,838 | 3,211 | 2,138 | 1,352 | 264 | 84 |
The key statistics from the Census relating to usable cells are:
- There were 3,838 prisoners in custody.
- 2,138 (56%) cells accommodated one prisoner.
- 676 cells accommodated two prisoners (1,352 prisoners).
- 88 cells accommodated three prisoners (264 prisoners).
- 20 cells accommodated four or more prisoners (84 prisoners).
- 3 prisoners accommodated in Safety Observation Cell.
- 11 prisoners accommodated in Close Supervision Cells.
The Irish Prison Service are currently progressing a number of projects that will deliver additional prisoner spaces over the next twelve months.
These projects include the reopening of the Training Unit to accommodate older prisoners, and will see 96 prisoner spaces return to operation.
In addition, the construction of a new male wing and standalone female prison is underway in Limerick Prison and will provide 90 additional male and 40 additional female spaces. This project is expected to be completed by the end of Summer 2022 and the new accommodation will become operational by the end of quarter 3 of 2022. This timeline assumes no further impact on construction activity or supply chain issues due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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