Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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1450.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update in relation to the provision of additional prison spaces across the penal system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31224/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to ensuring there is adequate capacity in our prisons.Additional capacity is essential to ensure the prison system is safe, humane and has sufficient spaces to house the most serious offenders while focusing on rehabilitation.

The Department of Justice continues to engage with the Irish Prison Service to progress plans to bring new spaces for over 1,100 people on stream between 2024 and 2030. This includes short-term projects which will deliver accommodation for more than 170 people this year.

As part of these plans the Minister for Justice secured capital funding of €159m for the years 2024 to 2026, including securing an increase of €49.5m through the most recent NDP allocations.

A new Working Group being established by Minister McEntee to consider future prison capacity, including the construction of a new Prison. It will also make recommendations on the future use of the site at Thornton Hall. The option of recommissioning the Curragh Prison is also being explored.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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1451.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update on the work of the Prison Overcrowding Group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31225/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware the Irish Prison Service has come under increasing operational stress due to an unprecedented increase in prisoner population numbers.

To address this, a Prison Overcrowding Response Group, composed of officials from across the Department of Justice and representatives from the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service, the Courts Service, and An Garda Síochána, was established in July 2023.

This group identified a wide range of proposals to address overcrowding in the prison estate and a number of actions are now being advanced by the relevant parties as appropriate.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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1452.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update on the implementation of the 60 recommendations of the Health Needs Assessment for the Irish Prison Service published in May 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31227/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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A Health Needs Assessment for the Irish Prison Service was published in May 2023. This was the first comprehensive health assessment undertaken for the Irish Prison Service. Broadly speaking, the 60 recommendations made relate to strengthening delivery and improving governance of healthcare services in the Irish Prison Service.

In relation to the implementation of the recommendations of the Health Needs Assessment, I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service is currently developing a detailed implementation and action plan which will cover the agreed recommendations and identify tasks, deliverables, milestones, timetables and resource requirements.

Recruitment of key healthcare posts is considered a priority in order to implement key recommendations of the Health Needs Assessment and I am advised that the Irish Prison Service has already recruited a Clinical Lead for Mental Health and Addiction. Other key positions, including a Clinical Governance and Risk Manager and a Clinical and Prisoner Services IT Manager, are to be recruited over the coming months.

Once the implementation project plan is delivered, it is expected that the recommendations will be implemented over the short, medium and long term. I can further advise that a steering group has been established by the Department of Justice comprising Irish Prison Service, Department of Justice, Department of Health and HSE personnel. This group will oversee the implementation process over the lifetime of the project.