Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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123. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average daily prison population and the official bed capacity of each custodial institution for the months January to March 2025; the percentage occupancy for each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21475/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The average daily prison population, official bed capacity of each capacity of each custodial institution for the months January to March 2025 and the percentage occupancy for each are published on a daily basis and are available on the Irish Prison Service website (www.irishprisons.ie). This information can be located in the Information Centre, under Statistics and Information – Daily Prisoner Population.

In recent years, in excess of 300 additional spaces have been added across our prisons, with 139 of these added in the last 12 months and 25 in the coming weeks. These spaces were added through the reopening of the Training Unit in Mountjoy as well as the opening of new male accommodation in Limerick Prison, the new standalone female prison in Limerick, and a range of other projects across the prison estate.

The current Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, has committed to increasing capacity of our prisons by 1,500. My Department is committed to achieving this, and work has already commenced to do so.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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124. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality whether he accepts that the State is in breach of its obligations under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights owing to current overcrowding levels, and what immediate actions he will take. [21476/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is acutely aware of capacity restraints in our prisons and has committed to increasing capacity of our prisons by 1,500 under the Programme for Government. This work has already commenced.

An increase of €79m (18%) was secured in Budget 2025 towards a total of €525m in funding to increase prison capacity and tackle overcrowding. The Irish Prison Service capital budget is €53m in 2025, an increase of €22.5m on the original 2024 allocation, focused on bringing additional prison spaces into the system.

Since 2022, capacity across the prison estate has been increased by more than 300 new spaces with over 125 delivered in the last 12 months and over 100 additional spaces to be added this year.

The Irish Prison Service also aims to recruit 300 prison officers in 2025, in addition to the 271 prison officers recruited in 2024.

These actions form part of one of the fastest-ever expansions of prison capacity in Ireland.

A Prison Overcrowding Response Group was established in July 2023, composed of officials from the Department of Justice and representatives from relevant agencies. The Group considered measures to address capacity issues in the prison estate. In June 2024, following a report from this Group, a range of actions were agreed 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 Government is also committed to progressing and implementing policies aimed at increasing the use of community sanctions, reducing offending, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and providing effective rehabilitation. Recently the Minister for Justice approved the publication of the Community Service - New Directions Implementation Plan 2025-2027 by the Probation Service, which aims to increase the use and opportunities for Community Service .

The Programme for Government explicitly commits to legislation extending the use of community sanctions and the roll out of the voluntary restorative justice programme.

In addition, the Department of Justice is continuing to progress a series of priority actions under the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024. This recommends reducing the use of short custodial sentences, enhancing the operation of community service by the Probation Service, and exploring how the judiciary can be provided with a greater range of community sanctions.

The Programme for Government also commits to implement electronic tagging for appropriate categories of offender, and work is underway to achieve this with the commencement of a project to examine how electronic monitoring can be brought into use in line with existing legislative provisions.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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125. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on floors on each day since 1 January 2024, broken down by prison. [21477/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The data requested by the Deputy is being collated. I will write to the Deputy with the information in due course.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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126. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality how overcrowding has affected rates of prisoner on prisoner and prisoner on staff assaults in 2023 and Q1 2025; and whether an independent safety audit will be commissioned. [21478/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the number of direct physical assaults involving prison staff and prisoners in 2023 and 2024 is set out in the attached table. I am further informed by the Irish Prison Service that assault figures are published on an annual basis; therefore, data for Quarter 1 of 2025 is not yet available at the time of this response.

Every assault on a member of staff is treated as serious and appropriate action is taken by the Irish Prison Service, including the reporting of such assaults to An Garda Síochána for the purposes of investigation and criminal prosecution where appropriate. Staff who are subject to an assault or threat in a prison are given the necessary supports through the Employee Assistance Programme.

Section 19 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 as amended specifically provides for assaults or threats to peace officers, including prison officers acting in the execution of their duty. Any person who assaults or threatens to assault a peace officer in the execution of their duty is guilty of an offence.

The maximum penalty available for assaulting a peace officer, including prison officers, was increased from 7 years to 12 years in the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023, which came into effect in November 2023. This sends a very clear message that attacks on frontline workers will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.

(Table containing Assault Figures for 2023-2024 attached)

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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127. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners unable to access education, vocational workshops or drug treatment programmes due to capacity constraints in 2024; and the percentage shortfall relative to assessed need. [21479/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service have confirmed that educational opportunities are available in all prisons and all prisoners are eligible to avail of these opportunities.

All prisoners are encouraged to attend education. Those who attend, engage in an education interview with the Head or Deputy Head Teacher where they discuss and agree their individual student timetable. Numbers who can attend the education unit in each prison is determined by factors such as education subject, size of the classroom and the number of prisoners who are interested in that subject. The average participation rate for Education in 2024 was 45% of the prisoner population.

The Department of Education provides an allocation of 220 whole time equivalent teachers to the Irish Prison Service through the Education and Training Boards.

I am advised that the Irish Prison Service is not in a position to provide specific data on the number of prisoners unable to access education, vocational workshops or drug treatment programmes due to the variables that impact access. Access to services can be affected on a daily basis by a range of factors including staffing levels, healthcare emergencies, waiting lists, for operational reasons e.g. cell and landing searches and due to a prisoner status, i.e. protection prisoners and remand.

I have also been advised that work training is also available in all prisons, with all prisoners encouraged to engage in some work training activity which provides constructive routine during time spent in custody. A wide range of training workshops operate within the institutions e.g. printing, hairdressing, braille, woodwork, metalwork, construction, industrial cleaning, crafts and horticulture. Many of these activities now provide certified training.

The work training function, staffed by Irish Prison Service Work Training Officers, also includes engagement in essential services such as catering and laundry services by prisoners. Workshop sizes and numbers of prisoners who can attend workshops may be determined by factors such as type of workshop, capacity of workshop and the number of prisoners who are interested in and assessed as suitable for participation in that workshop. The average participation rate for work training in 2024 was 19% of the prisoner population.

Furthermore, the Irish Prison Service provides a health care service for prisoners with addictions in a structured, safe and professional way in line with international best practice. It is the policy of the Irish Prison Service that, where a person committed to prison gives a history of opiate use and tests positive for opioids, they are offered a medically assisted, symptomatic detoxification, if clinically indicated.

Prisoners can, as part of the assessment process, discuss other treatment options with healthcare staff. Those treatment options may include stabilisation on methadone maintenance, addiction counselling, recovery college, and psychological intervention. 12.25% of the prisoner population were on methadone maintenance therapy as at 28th of April, 2025.

The Treatment and Recovery Programme (TARP) is a bespoke programme that was developed in 2022 by Merchants Quay Ireland in partnership with the Irish Prison Service. It supports prisoners who have become drug free in prison to continue their recovery and to support them to continue to lead a drug free life both whilst in prison and post release.

TARP is an eight-week programme, incorporating elements of a residential treatment centre, where the participants are drug free, occupy a self-contained sterile environment and engage in a programme of activities which include psychoeducational, individual and group therapeutic, somatic and life skills elements. Participants enter a stabilisation zone for a number of weeks prior to admittance to the TARP programme. The TARP programme currently runs with nine participants in each group.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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128. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his response to the Prison Officers' Association statement that overcrowding has passed the point at which prisons can be safely operated; and what additional staffing or overtime resources will be provided in budget 2026. [21480/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is acutely aware of capacity restraints in our prisons and we have committed to increasing capacity by 1,500 under the Programme for Government. This work has already commenced.

An increase of €79m (18%) was secured in Budget 2025 towards a total of €525m in funding to increase prison capacity and tackle overcrowding. The Irish Prison Service capital budget is €53m in 2025. This is an increase of €22.5m on the original 2024 allocation, focused on bringing additional prison spaces into the system.

Since 2022, capacity across the prison estate has been increased by more than 300 new spaces with over 139 delivered in the last 12 months. More than 90 additional spaces are to be added in 2025.

While I cannot pre-empt any budgetary decision, investment in recruitment and the use of additional hours must continue to help make our prisons safe for those who work and live in them.

The Irish Prison Service aims to recruit 300 prison officers in 2025, in addition to the 271 prison officers recruited in 2024. The IPS will launch its next recruitment campaign this summer.

An additional €6.2m has been provided to fund 130,000 additional staff hours in prisons to support prison operations and safety and security across the prison estate.

These actions form part of one of the fastest-ever expansions of prison capacity in Ireland.

Further, a Prison Overcrowding Response Group was established in July 2023, and is composed of officials from the Department of Justice and representatives from relevant agencies. The Group considered measures to address capacity issues in the prison estate. In June 2024, following a report from this Group, a range of actions were agreed 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 up to 2035.

The Government is also committed to progressing and implementing policies aimed at increasing the use of community sanctions, reducing offending, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and providing effective rehabilitation.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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129. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of confirmed drone related contraband drops detected in each prison in 2023 and to date in 2025; and the measures being taken to counter drone incursions. [21481/25]

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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130. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will consider installing comprehensive drone defence systems and netting in exercise yards, as recommended by staff representatives; and the estimated cost. [21482/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 130 together.

I am aware that the flow of contraband is one of the most pressing issues affecting security and safety in our prisons. Preventing the access of contraband, including drugs, into prisons is a high priority for the Irish Prison Service, and the Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support efforts to keep contraband out of prisons.

An Garda Síochána also supports the Irish Prison Service with ongoing operations in each relevant Garda Division, including Operation Throwover, which is intended to disrupt, interdict and prosecute attempts to introduce contraband into prisons.

This week, the Irish Prison Service and An Garda Síochána signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise a framework for interagency cooperation. The Memorandum of Understanding was developed to enable the two organisations to work in partnership to prioritise cooperation in tackling organised crime, drug dealing and contraband smuggling.

€5m has been allocated in the 2025 Capital budget for prison security. In 2024, enhanced measures were introduced in Portlaoise Prison as part of measures to counteract contraband and drone activity.

The Irish Prison Service has also commenced works on enhancing yard security in additional prisons with the installation of new netting capable of withstanding fire-bombing. This new netting has already been installed in one prison and is due to be rolled out to other locations in the short term.

In Table 1, the Irish Prison Service has provided the drone detection statistics for the years 2024 and 2025 to date as recorded by the Operational Support Group. The Deputy should note there are no figures available for 2023.

Table 1

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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131. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current utilisation rate of structured temporary release, broken down by offence category, compared with 2020 to 2024; and the reoffending rate for persons released under this scheme. [21483/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Structured temporary release can refer to two particular schemes, namely the Community Support Scheme and Community Return Scheme. The Community Return Programme is a shared initiative between the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service, a key element of which is that the participants must engage in work on community service sites as part of their release conditions, thereby giving back to their communities. The Community Support Scheme provides supports for short-term sentence prisoners, and Community Support groups engage with people in custody shortly after committal and seek to identify risk factors, make appropriate referrals and prepare a sentence management plan in each case. In March 2023, the criteria for participation in the Community Return and Community Support Schemes were expanded to allow additional people to become eligible for assessment for suitability to participate on these structured and supported temporary release schemes.In relation to the data sought by the Deputy, I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the below table sets out the numbers participating in the Community Return and Community Support Schemes for the years 2020 to 2025 to date.

I am further advised that the current compliance rates for those on structured temporary release stands at 90% for Community Return and 70% for Community Support.

In relation to the offence categories requested by the Deputy for those on structured temporary release, it has not been possible to collate this information in the time available, and I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.