Written answers
Tuesday, 1 February 2022
Department of Justice and Equality
Prison Service
Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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594. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisons that have had reports from the Office of the Inspector of Prisons in each year since from 2016 to date by prison in tabular form; and the number that have been published. [4266/22]
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware the Office of the Inspector of Prisons is a statutory body, independent in how it carries out its work, set up under the Prisons Act 2007. The Inspector's key role is to carry out regular inspections of prisons and the Inspector plays a vital role in ensuring effective independent oversight of our prison system.
For the years 2016 to 2019 there were no prison reports prepared by the Inspector, with the exception of one report on the Mountjoy training unit which was submitted to my office in 2017.
However, it is important to note that annual reports and a number of death in custody reports were submitted by the Inspector for each of those years.
The table below provides a breakdown of the prison inspection reports from the Inspector in each year from 2020 to date.
| Inspection Reports by Prison | 2020 | 2021 | Submitted to Minister | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountjoy Men’s Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Portlaoise Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Arbour Hill Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cork Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Shelton Abbey Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cloverhill Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Wheatfield Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Limerick Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Midlands Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Loughan House Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Castlerea Prison | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Mountjoy Women's Prison - Dóchas Centre | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Mountjoy Training Unit | 0 | -- | 1 | 1 |
| ** COVID-19 Cocooning Report: “Ameliorating the impact of cocooning on people in custody – a briefing” (seven prisons) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 15 | 10 |
As the Deputy will appreciate, I am keen to ensure the Inspector of Prisons is adequately resourced and to this end, there was an increase in the 2021 budget for the Inspector of Prisons of just over €0.75m, bringing the total 2021 allocation to €1.954m and this has been further increased in the 2022 Budget where the Inspector’s resources increased by a further €0.4m bringing the total allocation to €2.35m.
An Inspection Framework for the Inspection of Prisons in Ireland has been developed and was launched on 15 September 2020. The Framework sets out how the Inspector will conduct inspections of prisons in Ireland. It is informed by the statutory underpinning of the Inspector in legislation, national legislation relating to prisons and prisoners’ rights, and international obligations owing to prisoners. It also draws upon relevant international human rights standards, in particular the preventive approach and standards set by the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).
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