Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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573. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will instruct the Irish Prison Service to release the report into the death of a person (details supplied) to the Cork city Coroner. [59042/22]

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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574. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the process by which a family can gain access to the Inspector's Report into a death in prison. [59043/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 573 and 574 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, since April 2012 all deaths in custody are subject to an independent investigation by the Inspector of Prisons. Following this investigation, the Inspector of Prisons Office makes recommendations for improvement where appropriate. These recommendations are forwarded to the Prison Service for their attention and the final report is submitted to the Minister for Justice. Finalised reports and any associated Prison Service Action Plan to address recommendations are published in an anonymised form on the Gov.ie website and made available to the Coroner.

The Office of the Inspector of Prisons in conducting their investigations seeks to thoroughly explore and analyse all aspects of the case. As the Deputy will appreciate this process can take time. In addition, as part of this process, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons engages with the next of kin of the person who has died.

I understand that the specific report referred to had yet to be finalised but that it is expected to be transmitted to the Minister in the near future. The Inspector of Prisons will let the family know when the publication of the anonymised report is imminent and as soon as the report is published by the Minister, will provide the family with a copy of the report.