Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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430. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current metrics used on prison overcrowding for example, occupancy rate, number of prisoners sleeping on mattresses; and the immediate measures being taken to address any ongoing overcrowding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67889/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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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.

I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that the total number of prisoners in custody on Monday 24 November 2025 was 5,774 compared with a bed capacity of 4,702. This represents an occupancy level of 123%. The number of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on this date was at 633 across all sites. Each day the statistics are published on the IPS website (). This information can be found in the Information Centre under Statistics & Information.

Where the number of people in custody exceeds the maximum capacity in any prison, on a daily basis, the Irish Prison Service manage overcrowding through the use of temporary release. 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.

A record capital investment of €527 million is being provided to IPS over the next 5 years, of which €495 million will be invested in building projects to further increase capacity. The aim is to build 1,595 prison spaces by 2031 and includes a new prison on the site of the old Cork prison, a new block in Wheatfield, an additional block extension at Midlands prison, and additional spaces at Castlerea, Mountjoy, Cloverhill, Portlaoise, Limerick and Dóchas.

A range of actions to address capacity issues in our prisons was also agreed in June 2024 following on from the report of the Prison Overcrowding Response Group and work to implement these actions is ongoing. Among these actions was the introduction in 2024 of a pilot Structured Temporary Release Scheme for suitable candidates in Limerick Women’s Prison. Recognising the positive impact of the pilot so far, the eligibility criteria for the scheme is now being extended on a phased basis to include more women in the prison.

I am committed to progressing and implementing policies aimed at increasing the use of community sanctions, that reduce offending, divert people away from imprisonment, and provide effective rehabilitation.

Budget 2026 provides an 11% increase in funding for the Probation Service, allowing for the recruitment of 100 additional staff. This additional funding will be used to increase use of supervised community sanctions in the criminal courts, expand restorative justice services, and expand supervised temporary release schemes nationally. In April, I launched the Community Service - New Directions Implementation Plan 2025-2027. This plan sets out Probation Service commitments to drive the delivery and support the increased use of Community Service as a robust and meaningful alternative to imprisonment.

Another of these actions is to amend legislation to increase the maximum number of hours that can be imposed under a community service order from 240 to 480 hours. The amendment will also require a judge to consider a community service order if a sentence of up to two years is being considered, rather than the current one year requirement. These amendments have been included in the General Scheme of the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 which I published on 6 May 2025.

The Programme for Government also commits to implement electronic tagging for appropriate categories of prisoner. Work is underway to operationalise electronic monitoring. Budget 2026 allocated funding of €2.1m for the project to allow for staffing, procurement, and other set up costs. It is intended to go to tender for an electronic monitoring provider this year.

Taken together, these actions demonstrate that this Government and I are committed to delivering one of the fastest-ever expansions of prison capacity in Ireland and increasing and enhancing community based alternatives to imprisonment.