Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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40. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the work currently being undertaken to provide reasonable accommodations to prisoners with disabilities, including those who may be neurodivergent, autistic or have mental health conditions, as it relates to overcrowding and access to services in prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24626/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Prison Service makes every effort to provide reasonable accommodations to people in custody with a range of disabilities.

Everyone committed to the care of the Irish Prison Service has both a nursing and medical assessment completed within 2 and 24 hours respectively. These assessments highlight and initiate further services that may be required to safely and appropriately accommodate and integrate the person into the prison environment. Any clinical support services that may be required will be commissioned to meet their needs in tandem with reviews of location and physical environmental needs that may be required.

The Irish Prison Service strives to optimise the independence of any prisoner with a disability so that skills are maintained and enhanced but for those with a physical disability, the prison environment can provide significant challenges. Any prisoner who requires supports with activities of daily living is accommodated in a suitable setting with regards to both the physical infrastructure, and where required, the assignment of a Healthcare Assistants to ensure that their needs are met as comprehensively as possible.

Where a specific disability is assessed and diagnosed whilst in prison such as autism, the individual’s needs and requirement are discussed at the weekly multi-agency meetings.

Work is progressing in some prisons in relation to more autism friendly environments, with the support of AsIAm. This includes both training and changes to physical infrastructure, particularly in waiting areas, as well as the development of initiatives like the sensory garden in Wheatfield Prison.

To meet the needs of the increasing number of people in custody, the Psychology Service have enhanced their model of care to provide greater breadth of provision through group work and workshops. Their focus is on supporting people through talking therapy in relation to mood and anxiety difficulties, personality difficulties, post traumatic stress disorder, self-harm and suicidal behaviour, eating disorders, psychosis and schizophrenia, and addiction. They also assess, diagnose and work with people with developmental disorders, intellectual difficulties, cognitive decline and traumatic brain injuries.