Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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586. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her views on the conclusions found in a report by an organisation (details supplied) that indicates there has been little change or regress and a worsening of many aspects of prison life; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7754/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Oversight and evaluation are important elements in developing and improving our penal system. Therefore, I welcome the recent publication by the organisation in question and I thank them for this valuable work.

The report and its conclusions are being examined by my officials in detail.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government contains a broad range of policies and proposals that represent a coherent approach to enhancing and sustaining a more just and safe society with a specific commitment to review policy options for prison and penal reform.

In delivering on this commitment my Department is undertaking a number of important pieces of work that will address some of the issues considered in this report.

The report of the cross-sectoral group tasked with undertaking a review of policy options for prison and penal reform is expected to be published shortly.

The High Level Task Force on Mental Health which is looking at how best to care for people with mental health issues who come into contact with the criminal justice system, produced an interim report in Q4 2021 and a high level implementation plan is expected to be presented to me and other relevant Ministers in Q1 of this year.

Preparation of the legislation necessary to ratify the Optional Protocol to the U.N. Convention against Torture is advanced and my Department is leading on the preparation for a General Scheme of Places of Detention Bill which is expected to be published shortly, subject to Government approval. It will then be referred for drafting in the normal course.

The important work of the Prisons Visiting Committees is recognised and the Programme for Government commits to reviewing the existing function, powers, appointment procedures and reporting processes for these Committees. A Review Team was established in September 2020 to take this commitment forward and their work is ongoing.

Work to introduce a new Prisoner Complaints System is also ongoing and I can advise the Deputy that substantial work has been completed on the necessary actions to introduce this new system. This includes staff training, the development of an integrated IT system to support case handling and a draft policy for complaints handling. Engagement with the OPC with a view to completing work on the required Statutory Instrument is ongoing as is engagement with relevant stakeholders, including the Office of the Ombudsman in preparation for its future operation.

I want to emphasis that throughout the pandemic, everyone involved in the Prison Service have worked tirelessly to ensure effective infection control measures are in place while at the same time continuing to provide a range of rehabilitative support services for prisoners in custody. Covid related restrictions and changes in regime, however necessary, unavoidably impacted the lives of those in custody. Restrictive measures have been modified in line with the various announcements made by Government and in line with advice from Public Health/HSE and the Irish Prison Service National Infection Control Team.

I am informed that the Prison Service intends to continue to review remaining restrictions on an ongoing basis and the unwinding of these measures will be determined by the level of risk posed to prisons at that time and taking account of Government decisions.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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587. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps her Department is taking to ensure that Ireland meets the target of reducing the prison population to 50 per 100,000 of the population; and the proposed timeline for achieving same. [7758/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland's prison population, while higher than the target of 50 per 100,000 which was proposed by the Irish Penal Reform Trust, is low by international standards.

As the Deputy will also know, significant action was taken to reduce the prisoner population in March 2020 to ensure that effective infection control was possible across the estate. However, prior to that period, a consistent increase in the number of people in custody and prison overcrowding was a feature in a number of areas, especially for women and remand prisoners.

Non-custodial penalties, particularly supervised community sanctions, play a significant and important role in addressing criminality, reducing reoffending and providing a degree of protection to the public. This is supported by Central Statistics Office figures on recidivism.

The Programme for Government 2020 contains a broad range of policies and proposals that represent a coherent approach to enhancing and sustaining a more just and safe society with a specific commitment to review policy options for prison and penal reform.

Justice Plan 2021 commits to the publication of a Penal Policy Action Plan. Work is at an advanced stage and I hope to be in a position to publish this plan in the coming period.