I wish to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes to those in custody that include education, vocational training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These programmes can offer purposeful activity to those in custody while serving their sentences and encouraging them to lead law abiding lives on release.
These programmes are available in all prisons and all prisoners are eligible to use the services. No prisoners were refused access to rehabilitative or education training within the prison system. However, on some occasions, prisoners may have to wait for a place to become available on an education programme.
On committal, all prisoners are interviewed by the Governor and are informed of the services available in the prison. At this point prisoners may be referred to services or they can self refer at a later date. Where Governors consider, on the information available, that a prisoner needs a particular intervention they will initiate a referral.
The manner in which records are collated does not allow us to differentiate between first-time offenders and repeat offenders.