Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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157. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to address the pay and conditions concerns of prison officers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26578/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As you are aware my colleague Minister McGrath leads on national pay policy and the long standing approach has been to negotiate public pay deals centrally and collectively. This ensures that pay costs are managed in a sustainable and orderly way and in a climate of industrial peace.

As the Deputy will be aware, the current public service agreement, Building Momentum, is a two year Agreement and runs to the end of 2022.

On 14 March 2022, ICTU advised the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform of their intention to seek a review of Building Momentum in accordance with Section 5.7 of the Agreement which states:

“The parties affirm that public service pay and pensions and any related issues shall not be revisited over the lifetime of this Agreement, save where the assumptions underlying this Agreement need to be revisited. In such circumstances, the parties commit to prior engagement.”

Having discussed the matter with Government, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform directed his officials to arrange to enter into exploratory discussions with Public Service Unions and representative staff associations in relation to an agreed way forward on public service pay issues.

These will be challenging discussions against a very difficult backdrop. Discussions must be cognisant of the multiple challenges that the country is currently facing including the impact of rising inflation and the conflict in the Ukraine.

However, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has advised that he believes that there is scope for all Parties to engage constructively in a way forward that is reasonable and fair to both public servants and the taxpayer. As always, the Government will engage in good faith to reach a mutually acceptable outcome in any discussions.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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158. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to establish a female open prison; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26580/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I wish to assure the Deputy that I am very cognisant that female offenders represent a particularly vulnerable group within the prison system. It is the case that provision of an Open Centre for women was considered in the context of the Probation Service/Irish Prison Service joint Women Strategy 2014-2016, which sought to improve the outcomes for women offenders. 

A joint working group between the two agencies recommended that the most practical and cost effective way to address the needs identified was to develop a step-down facility for women. In this regard, the Probation and Prison Service worked collaboratively towards the identification of a suitable venue for a women’s step down unit in Dublin, via a procurement process run by the Office of Government Procurement.

The Outlook Programme, which opened on 10 May 2019, now provides this step-down facility. The vision of the Programme is to promote the rehabilitation and re-integration of women leaving prison and those who have accommodation needs requiring support in the community. This is achieved through the provision of a wrap- around service that supports independent living skills, training and employment opportunities and pro-social behaviour in order to reduce risk of  re-offending

The Programme which is run in joint partnership between the Prison and the Probation Service, and managed by Focus Ireland, supports women serving sentences of imprisonment who pose a low risk to society to gradually re-integrate into the community. 

In addition, as the Deputy will be aware, the Prison Service is currently in the process of a major redevelopment of Limerick Prison which includes the construction of a new prison facility for women prisoners. 

The new accommodation block for women offenders in Limerick will replace the use of the female wing at that prison. The design of the new facility is based on the principle of rehabilitation and normalisation reflecting contemporary design standards.  A mix of accommodation units are being provided based around an external courtyard setting. The development will provide accommodation for 50 women prisoners and is scheduled for completion in late 2022. When open, this new facility will represent a complete change in the standard of accommodation and rehabilitative supports for women prisoners at that facility.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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159. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to provide in-cell phones in each prison; the restrictions that will apply to their use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26581/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that the project to provide in-cell telephony across the Prison Estate is complete in Castlerea, Cloverhill, Midlands, Cork and Limerick prisons.  (This excludes the old female unit as the new unit is currently nearing completion). 

The Prison Service is acutely aware of the importance of assisting prisoners to maintain close contact with family and friends while in custody. Both play an important and supportive role in the rehabilitation of prisoners and in their preparation for life post release and the in-cell telephony project will enhance the Prison Service’s ability to provide prisoners with a platform to support this contact.

The Prison Service anticipates the completion of in-cell telephony to the Dóchas Centre, Portlaoise and Wheatfield Prisons by the end of 2022. This is dependent on the ability of the Service to acquire the relevant equipment.  Like many businesses, the IPS is dealing with supply chain issues for technological equipment at present and as a result there are delays being experienced. Subject to the availability of necessary resources, the Prison Service intend to provide in-cell telephony in Arbour Hill and Mountjoy Male prison in 2023. 

It is important to note that the same restrictions and oversight will apply to in-cell telephony as apply to the existing prisoner telephone system. Calls will be limited to certain pre-approved numbers, call duration, the monitoring and recording of calls will be in line with the current process.