Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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478. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the ratio of psychologists to prisoners, per prison, at the end of 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9522/23]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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479. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners who were on waiting lists to access psychology services at the end of 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9523/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 478 and 479 together.

The Irish Prison Service Psychology Service is a national service, made up of a Head of Psychological Services, a Principal Psychologist, Senior Psychologists, Staff Grade Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists.

Psychologists are embedded within a multidisciplinary team in each prison and services provided by Psychologists are organised within a layered care model. The Service works across all levels of clinical intensity from primary care mental health through to severe and enduring mental health difficulties. Clients also present with a range of criminogenic needs. This integrated, layered model of care is bio-psycho-social, strengths-based and recovery focused, and balances this with principles from the Risk, Need and Responsivity (RNR) model used throughout forensic clinical services. Psychological interventions include both individual and group based approaches, using (but not exclusive to) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy skills, Mentalisation Based Therapy, Schema Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy.

The Irish Prison Service Psychology Service also provides a critical role in support, consultation, education and training to the broader Irish Prison Service organisation. This includes consultation with senior management in relation to very complex psychological and risk-related presentations and Recruit Prison Officer Training. Staff also represent the service at IPS, allied agency and Departmental working and policy development groups to provide a psychological perspective on various critical issues including mental health, sexual and gender based violence, gender-informed approaches, violence, trauma-informed care, deaths in custody and preventing violent extremism.

The Irish Prison Service received additional funding for Psychologists through the 2022 estimates process, specifically for interventions associated with mental health and sexual violence. This has provided for increased psychologist posts across most closed prisons and part time psychologist posts in both Open Centres for the first time. Recruitment in 2022 resulted in seven out of nine psychologists panelled accepting positions in the Irish Prison Service and another recruitment campaign is scheduled for May 2023.

Many people require a variety of interventions to meet their needs and the model used enables clinicians and clients to construct their own individual treatment packages. Integral to a layered care model is greater collaboration between the assessing psychologist and client, integration between various service levels e.g. primary, secondary and tertiary care, as well as integration of various disciplines to support the client with their individualised treatment package.

The Psychology Service is built upon the principles of strengths based and recovery approaches in conjunction with a risk, needs and responsivity framework.

The number of prisoners who were on waiting lists to access psychology services and the ratio of psychologists to prisoners, per prison, as of 4 January 2023, is set out below.

Figures are grouped together on the basis that the senior psychologist in Castlerea, Mountjoy and Dochas oversee the supervision and governance of the psychology service in Loughan House, Shelton Abbey and the Training Unit respectively.

Please note that some people have multiple referrals owing to various mental health and criminogenic need.

*Ratio calculated using prisoner bed capacity.