Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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263. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the cost of a 10% increase in Prison Service funding. [17252/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Prison Service (IPS) is a non-statutory executive agency of the Department of Justice responsible for the secure custody, care and rehabilitation of people serving a sentence in each of Ireland’s twelve prisons.

The IPS is the second largest agency in the criminal justice system, with a budget of €453m in 2024 and €422m in 2023. Overall, the 2024 IPS allocation is broken down as follows: Pay (€319m), Non-Pay (€97m) and Capital (€38m).

The Programme for Government commits to a range of penal reform measures that require substantial and ongoing modernisation of prison services and practices. This includes an enhanced focus on rehabilitation and reducing recidivism, assisting those in custody with mental health, addiction and other personal difficulties, and upgrading the prison estate.