Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1210. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current status of plans to erect a new prison in Thornton Hall, as stated in the Programme for Government, acknowledging that overall the draft programme says providing adequate prison capacity is essential for ensuring public safety, facilitating rehabilitation, and addressing the needs of individuals within the justice system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12780/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There has been much work done to date to enhance the prison infrastructure, provide additional capacity, and explore alternatives to prison. The Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland’s Future, commits to continued action in this area, including the construction of a prison at Thornton Hall.

I have already engaged with the Irish Prison Service on the issue of additional capacity, and the Government has committed to increasing capacity of our prisons by 1,500. This work has already commenced.

In recent years, in excess of 300 additional spaces have been added across our prisons, with over 100 of these added in the last 12 months and 50 to come onstream very soon. These spaces were added through the reopening of the Training Unit in Mountjoy as well as the opening of new male accommodation in Limerick and the new standalone female prison in Limerick, and a range of other projects across the prison estate.

Further spaces will be delivered in 2025, as part of an overall plan out to 2030. The IPS has a total budget of €525m for 2025, an increase in funding of €79m (18%) compared to 2024. The Irish Prison Service capital budget stands at €53m in 2025, which is an increase of €22.5m on the original allocation for 2024. All new capital building projects must be done in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines, which outline the steps that must be taken to plan and deliver large projects to ensure value for money.

A Prison Overcrowding Response Group was established in July 2023, composed of officials from my Department and representatives from relevant agencies, to consider measures to address capacity issues in the prison estate. In June 2024, on foot of a report from this Group a range of actions were approved and work to implement these is ongoing.

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, including at Thornton Hall.