Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 893 and 919 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Prison Service must accept into custody all people committed to prison by the Courts. As such, the Irish Prison Service has no control over the numbers committed to custody at any given time.

The Irish Prison Service is working closely with my officials in the Department of Justice to take steps to ensure a safe working environment for staff and the safety and security of all those in custody.

Where the number of people in custody exceeds the maximum capacity in any prison, the Irish Prison Service make every effort to deal with this through a combination of inter-prison transfers and appropriate use of structured Temporary Release.

The criteria for participation in the Community Return and Community Support Schemes were reviewed last year and additional prisoners are now eligible for assessment for suitability to participate on these structured and supported schemes.

In this regard I can assure the Deputy that decisions in relation to temporary release are considered on a case by case basis and the safety of the public is paramount when those decisions are made.

A Prison Overcrowding Response Group has been established, with officials from across the Department, the Irish Prison Service, Probation Service, Courts Service, and An Garda Síochána this group is continuing to examine proposals to address overcrowding.

While focused on rehabilitation and reducing offending, we are continuing to invest in our prison estate, to ensure that it is modern, fit for purpose and has the capacity to accommodate those committed to prison by the courts.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has made significant capital funding available to the Irish Prison Service in order to enhance the existing prison infrastructure and to provide additional capacity.

In recent years, works have been completed to modernise the Mountjoy complex, a new prison was constructed in Cork and additional prisoner accommodation was provided in the Midlands Prison.

Furthermore, the Training Unit in Mountjoy was reopened providing an additional 96 spaces, the opening of new male accommodation in Limerick has provided an additional 90 cell spaces and the new standalone female prison in Limerick has provided an additional 22 female cell spaces. This brings additional capacity across the estate to in excess of 200 new spaces in recent years.

Plans have also been outlined for 4 capital projects at Castlerea, Cloverhill, the Midlands and Mountjoy prisons to accommodate up to 670 people.

Earlier this month I secured additional capital funding of €49.5m to deliver these very significant capital commitments to allow the Irish Prison Service to address current capacity issues within our prison system and ensure it is fit-for-purpose for a growing population in the years to come.

Preparatory work will commence this year on these 4 key projects as part of an accelerated capital construction programme.

The additional capital funding will also be used to advance short term projects currently being pursued by the Prison Service that are expected to deliver almost 100 spaces this year.

My Department has also undertaken a policy review of the previously published General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014. Following on from this, I expect to bring a revised General Scheme to Government.

As the Deputy will appreciate it is not currently possible to provide single cells to every prisoner across the prison estate but it is also the case that not all those in custody wish to be accommodated in single cells. Some people prefer to be accommodated with another person and I am advised by the Prison Service that an assessment of suitability to share cells is conducted by the Governor during the committal interview to identify those who can safely share cells with each other.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, the decision to commit a person to custody is solely a matter for a judge and judges are independent in the exercise of their judicial functions. The decision to remand a person to prison in any particular case is solely a matter for the judge concerned based on the available facts.

As the Deputy will also be aware, the Prison Service are, by law, required to admit into custody all those committed by the Courts and as such, the Irish Prison Service has no control over the numbers committed to custody.

The prison system is under increasing pressure with factors such as ongoing population growth, increasing Garda and Judicial resources all contributing to a rising prison population.

A Prison Overcrowding Response Group has been established, with officials from across the Department, the Irish Prison Service, Probation Service, Courts Service, and An Garda Síochána and this group is continuing to examine a range of proposals to address overcrowding.

While focused on rehabilitation and reducing offending, we are continuing to invest in our prison estate, to ensure that it is modern, fit for purpose and has the capacity to accommodate those committed to prison by the courts.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has made significant capital funding available to the Irish Prison Service in order to enhance the existing prison infrastructure and to provide additional capacity.

In recent years, works have been completed to modernise the Mountjoy complex, a new prison was constructed in Cork and additional accommodation was provided in the Midlands Prison.

Furthermore, the Training Unit in Mountjoy was reopened providing an additional 96 spaces, the opening of new male accommodation in Limerick has provided an additional 90 cell spaces and the new standalone female prison in Limerick has provided an additional 22 female cell spaces. This brings additional capacity across the estate to in excess of 200 new spaces in recent years.

Plans have also been outlined for 4 capital projects at Castlerea, Cloverhill, the Midlands and Mountjoy prisons to accommodate up to 670 prisoners.

Earlier this month I secured additional capital funding of €49.5m to deliver these very significant capital commitments to allow the Irish Prison Service to address current capacity issues within our prison system and ensure it is fit-for-purpose for a growing population in the years to come.

Preparatory work will commence this year on these 4 key projects as part of an accelerated capital construction programme.

The additional capital funding will also be used to advance short term projects currently being pursued by the Prison Service that are expected to deliver almost 100 spaces this year.

My Department has also published a Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024 and work on that is underway. My Department has also undertaken a policy review of the previously published General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014. Following on from this, I expect to bring a revised General Scheme to Government.