Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

184. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners that have been unlawfully at large from prison in each of the past ten years. [39839/25]

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

A person who has been granted temporary release is deemed to be unlawfully at large (UAL) if they have not returned to custody before the expiry of their temporary release period, or if a condition of their release is breached.

An Garda Síochána may arrest, without warrant, a person whom they suspect to be unlawfully at large. The person may be returned to the prison in which they are required to be detained and placed immediately back into the custody of the governor of that prison. The term of their sentence is suspended for the period they have been at large.

I am informed that the vast majority of prisoners are recorded as UAL for technical breaches whereby they do not return to the prison on their designated date to sign-on.

Please see attached data table, Table 1 Total Number of Prisoners Unlawfully at Large & Instances of Unlawfully at Large per year, shows the data recorded by the IPS for each of the past 10 years.

These numbers are dynamic, as a majority of prisoners are UAL for a short period of time and return within a day or return to the prison the following week.

Total Number of Prisoners Unlawfully at Large & Instances of Unlawfully at Large per year

*Please note that the data provided is correct as of 4 July 2025 and is subject to change.