2026-05-07

I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, for coming to the House. It is rare that we get a senior Minister taking a Topical Issue, so I appreciate him coming in. I want to address the ongoing and worsening overcrowding in Cork Prison and the very real impact it is having on prison officers and staff, who are being asked to manage conditions that are no longer sustainable. Cork Prison has an operational capacity of 296 but the daily average number of people in custody in 2024 was 335, which rose further to an average of 354 in early 2025. That means Cork Prison has been operating at 120% to 130% capacity, with between 50 and 80 people sleeping on mattresses on the floor on any given night. This level of overcrowding is not just an inconvenience. It is a serious occupational health and safety issue for all the staff who work in the prison. Overcrowded landings, people sleeping on floors, limited sightlines and cramped shared spaces significantly increase the risk of violence, assault and disorder, while also making routine duties more dangerous and stressful for staff. Prison officers in Cork are being asked to maintain order, safety and discipline in conditions that fall well short of what would be regarded as acceptable in any other public service workplace. Staff cannot be expected to carry this burden indefinitely. While I acknowledge national plans to add capacity around the country, Cork has for many years been under sustained pressure but without a permanent solution. Short-term measures and marginal increases in bed numbers do not address the fundamental problem, which is that the physical size and layout of the prison is no longer fit for purpose given current committal levels. That is why I call on the Minister to commit to a substantial extension of Cork Prison, delivering additional modern accommodation that reduces pressures, improves staff safety and allows the prison to operate within safe limits on a consistent basis. I refer to it as an extension because many of our opponents in the Opposition would contend that we are trying to land a second prison on top of people. As usual, they are trying to play politics with this issue. An extension is warranted and that is what it is; an extension. Any extension to the prison needs to bring a clear community dividend or community benefit. I ask the Minister to speak to whatever public consultation can be done, whether by the Minister, the Department of justice, the Prison Service or the OPW, to consult with the public as to what community dividend we can have for the local community. Whether that public consultation would yield an amenity space, a community building or otherwise, it would be important to factor it in. This is not just about being hard on crime. It is about running a prison safely, professionally and efficiently while respecting the people who work there and protecting the wider public by ensuring the system is stable and controlled. Cork Prison cannot continue to operate over capacity year after year. That is why I am asking that Cork be prioritised for a major capital extension with a clear timeline, clear staffing protections and a commitment that any development delivers tangible benefits both for prison officers and the wider Cork community.

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for putting down this very important issue I accept that overcrowding is having an impact on the provision of services within the prison estate, and is having an impact on both prisoners and staff. A lot of outstanding work is ongoing within our prisons that probably does not get enough recognition. This morning, I spent two hours at Mountjoy and Dóchas. Three weeks ago, I visited Castlerea Prison for a full afternoon. In fact, I have visited every prison in the country with the exception of the Midlands Prison and Arbour Hill Prison, and I will be visiting them shortly. I take this opportunity to commend the Irish Prison Service and the staff on the outstanding work they do daily. This morning, I had an opportunity to look at the education services provided within Mountjoy and Dóchas. It really is an excellent service, notwithstanding the pressures that overcrowding creates. I am pursuing a dual approach to address the issue of prison overcrowding by increasing prison capacity and pursuing further measures to support the increased use of non-custodial sanctions. I have secured a record capital investment of €528 million for the Irish Prison Service over the next five years, of which €495 million will be invested to deliver one of the most significant capital programmes in the justice sector, with an overall target of delivering over 1,500 spaces by 2031. The building programme, which is committed to 2031, will, as the Deputy has requested, include a large extension to the existing Cork Prison on the site of the old, decommissioned prison. It is important to state that this is not a new prison; it will be an extension to the current Cork Prison. I had the opportunity, with Deputy O'Sullivan, to visit Cork Prison last year. I was very impressed with the commitment and professionalism of the Prison Service and the prison staff there. I am conscious that we need this extension. There will also be a new block in Wheatfield and an additional block extension at Midlands Prison. This is in addition to spaces at Castlerea, Mountjoy and the Dóchas Centre, where an extension to Rowan House is expected to accommodate 50 women prisoners. I visited Dóchas today and saw another extension that had been put in by using office space. It is a fantastic extension and shows the work that has been done in the past year. The proposed project for the extension to the existing Cork Prison is still at an early planning stage but preparation works will start early next year. The extension on the old, decommissioned Cork Prison site will be a large extension of the function of the existing prison and will provide prison spaces for approximately 100 women and 230 men. This will improve efficiency. As the Deputy will be aware, the former Cork Prison ceased to operate as an operational prison in February 2016 but the site provides an opportunity for the Prison Service to extend. As the project progresses, there will, of course, be community engagement as part of the planning process. I hope that consideration will also be given to community benefit as part of the project as matters progress. With regard to Cork Prison, I should also mention the excellent educational work that is provided by the Dillon’s Cross Project, which celebrates its 30th anniversary. The project provides vital educational and social support to the partners and families of prisoners. That is an example of the excellent work that is done for community benefit arising from the prison.

We are all aware that this prison extension is going to happen but I welcome the confirmation from the Minister. It is unfortunate that the plan for it to be delivered extends to 2031, which is the best part of five years away. While I understand that these things take time, I hope that if everybody puts their shoulder to the wheel, that could be shortened. I welcome the fact the proposal is to go forward for planning. When it comes to the design level, we will do what we can to work with the communities that live nearby in terms of designing a prison that can fit in well with the community that is already there. My real motivation for raising this is to hammer home the community benefit side of things. It is imperative that fair consideration is given. I know the Minister is not an architect or an engineer, that he will not be designing the prison, and that it will be done by professionals in the Prison Service or hired by the Prison Service but I need to hammer home that the community needs to see a dividend out of that. I would hope the Minister's words here will be passed on to the people who will be designing the scheme when it is put forward. It is about something substantial for the community. On the northside of the city, there is a clear lack of community buildings, amenities and so on. I am hoping that due consideration will be given. I hope that will be passed on to the governor of the prison and the people who will be tasked with designing the prison.

I am hoping, and it is intended, that we will start preparation works early next year in respect of the extension to Cork Prison. I am hoping and expecting that it will be completed in advance of 2031 and that it will be finished in the latter part of this decade. It is also important to point out that we have a good record in the Irish Prison Service in delivering extensions or new blocks on prison property very quickly. As I said to the Deputy, I was in Castlerea three weeks ago. Works started on a project there - the Grove - on 1 May 2025 and it is finished now. I turned the sod there three weeks ago for a further extension. The Prison Service is renowned within the sector as being very efficient at getting works completed very promptly. A further example of that is the works I saw this morning in the Dóchas Centre. I also have to point out, however, that I did manage to secure an exemption from the Minister for public expenditure for six projects totalling 960 prison spaces and to move them straight to approval gate 2 pre-tender approval of the infrastructure guidelines, a measure which is expected to speed up delivery of these projects by 12 to 18 months. It also frees up capacity within the Irish Prison Service to progress projects. The proposed extension on Cork Prison is to deliver new prison spaces for men and women. We will try to get that expedited as quickly as possible. I hear what the Deputy has said in terms of a community gain. Obviously there are restrictions in terms of a prison. It is not as though it is a housing estate where you can just put a unit in there but I will think creatively, and I am sure the Irish Prison Service will too, in terms of what can be done for the community. The educational services provided by the Prison Service for families outside of prison is one example of that.