Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1201. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice the number of days education and training workshops in the Irish Prison Service were closed due to the unavailability of prison service staff other than teaching staff, from 1 January 2022 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38675/23]
View answer1202. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice the number of days the gym facilities in the Irish Prison Service were closed due to the unavailability of prison service staff, from 1 January 2022 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38684/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1201 and 1202 together.
I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that it provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes to those in custody. These programmes include education and vocational training as well as healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These programmes are available in all prisons and all prisoners are eligible to use these services
I am further advised by the Irish Prison Service that the information sought on the number of days gym facilities and training workshops were closed due to the unavailability of prison service staff is not readily available. Such statistics could only be compiled by the examination of individual records in each prison which would involve the commitment of a disproportionate amount of staff time that would impact adversely on the work of the prisons. However The Irish Prison Service is currently developing a new Work Training Management System (WTMS) that will allow for the retrieval of this information going forward and this new WTMS is expected to be operational in 2024.
A key challenges for the Irish Prison Service is ensuring that prisoners have regular and consistent access to the Prison Education Centre and Work and Training programmes. Unfortunately the re-deployment of staff on a daily basis to cover court escort activity & hospital in & out patient appointments can have an adverse impact on the opening of schools and work and training programmes.
To address this, the Irish Prison Service is committed to strengthening the numbers of staff assigned to the Prison Service Escort Corp. Increased Government funding provided in the budget for the recruitment of additional prison officers in 2023 will support this resulting in improvements in opening times and access to prisoner services.
The table below provides the number of full day closures of prison education centres due to Officer shortages in 2022 and up to 31st August 2023.
|
- |
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|
Prison |
Full Day Closures 2022 |
Full Day Closures as at 31.08.23 |
|
Arbour Hill |
0 |
1 |
|
Castlerea |
1 |
36 |
|
Cloverhill |
29 |
0 |
|
Cork |
3 |
3 |
|
Dochas |
8 |
1 |
|
Limerick |
37 |
15 |
|
Loughan |
0 |
0 |
|
Midlands |
5 |
0 |
|
Mountjoy |
4 |
4 |
|
Portlaoise |
0 |
0 |
|
Progression Unit |
8 |
1 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
0 |
0 |
|
Training Unit |
0 |
0 |
|
Wheatfield |
27 |
13 |
