Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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833. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners currently slopping out in Irish prisons, by prison, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3281/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of safe and secure custody and dignity of care for people in prison in Ireland is a priority for the Irish Prison Service and for me, as Minister for Justice.

The Deputy will be aware that the Irish Prison Service has all but eliminated the practice referred to as ‘slopping out’ in prisons through a major refurbishment programme and the replacement of prison facilities across the estate.

This included the refurbishment of Mountjoy Prison, which included installation of in-cell sanitation to all cells, completed in 2014, the replacement of Cork Prison with a new and modern facility in 2016, and most recently, the opening of new accommodation at Limerick Prison in 2023.

As a result of these infrastructure developments across the prison estate, there are only 5 prisoners, accommodated in Portlaoise Prison who currently do not have access to toilet facilities within their cell. Due to the historical nature and condition of the E Block, the reducing number of prisoners accommodated there, and the likely scale of costs involved, it has been determined that it is not feasible to provide in-cell sanitation in that location.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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834. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of people toileting in the presence of another in Irish Prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3282/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed that the information requested by the Deputy is collated by the Irish Prison Service on a periodic basis. The January 2025 census is currently being finalised and will be published on the Irish Prison Service website in the coming weeks.

In the interim, I can advise the Deputy that according to the most recently completed census of cell occupancy, taken on 16 July 2024, there were 5,018 people in custody on that day, of whom 1,956 had access to toilet facilities in private. This means that they were accommodated in a single cell, or had access to a fully partitioned or en-suite toilet. In addition, 3,056 prisoners were accommodated in shared cells which may have resulted in the need to use the toilet in the presence of others.

The Deputy will be aware that the Irish Prison Service provides a range of accommodation across the prison estate. This includes traditional cellular accommodation in closed male prisons, including a mix of single, double, triple and multi-occupancy cells. In addition, dormitory and bedroom style accommodation is provided in open/semi open male prisons and bedroom and/or apartment style accommodation is provided in female prisons.

As the Deputy may be aware, traditional prison cells across the prison estate, with the exception of a very small number of cells in Portlaoise Prison, now include in-cell sanitation. This includes the provision of a toilet and wash hand basin and can include a modesty screen to protect the privacy of the cell user while maintaining an appropriate line of sight for staff who must always be in a position to monitor the prisoner for security and safety reasons.

I am informed that it is not possible to introduce fully partitioned toilet facilities in traditional closed prison cells as to do so would negatively impact on the availability of living space within the cell. This could lead to the requirement to reduce the capacity of a large number of cells across the prison estate, which is simply not possible due to the numbers in custody and current committal trends.

The introduction of a fully partitioned toilet in such cells would also impact on the ability of prison staff to monitor the occupant which could have a negative impact on the safety and security of cell occupants.

">July 2024 In-Cell Data

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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835. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps he is taking to reduce overcrowding in Limerick Women's prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3283/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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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. The opening of the new standalone female prison in Limerick in 2023 provided an additional 22 female cell spaces. Plans are also being pursued to increase the capacity in the Dóchas Centre in the coming years.

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.

Where the number of people in custody exceeds the maximum capacity in any prison, officials in the Irish Prison Service make every effort to deal with this through a combination of inter-prison transfers and structured temporary release. The legislative basis for temporary release is set out in the Criminal Justice Act 1960, as amended by the Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Act 2003. The options for transfer for female prisoners is limited to transfers between two prisons.

A Prison Overcrowding Response Group was established in 2023 to develop proposed actions to address the problem of Irish prisons operating above capacity. The Group comprised representatives from the Department of Justice, An Garda Síochána, the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service, and the Courts Service. In 2024, the Group presented its report to the Minister and 12 actions were approved for implementation.

Two actions, concerning a new structured temporary release for women and the establishment of a specialised Probation Service response for scaling, have been combined and a pilot scheme has been established targeting women serving custodial sentences of 18 months or less in Limerick’s Women’s Prison. 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.

Further, a Working Group was established in the second half of 2024 to further consider future prison capacity needs and to make recommendations on the numbers and types of prison capacity needed out to 2035. The work of this Group will support and inform future developments regarding prison capacity.