718. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on prison capacity for 2024, by prison; and the average bed capacity per prison, by male and female, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55399/25]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
Browse the questions
Showing questions under the heading Prison Service.
484 questions match, newest first.
11. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the plans his Department has to increase prison capacity in line with the country’s rising population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54032/25]
31. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he intends to continue with his plans to reopen the Old Cork Prison site; and the level of engagement he has undertaken with the local community on this matter. [53204/25]
74. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of visits that remand prisoners are entitled per week, due to contradictory information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54140/25]
275. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of drugs overdoses in the prison system, broken down by prison, between 2020 and 2025 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54121/25]
276. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisoners held under Rule 62 and Rule 63 in the Prison Service by length of time, broken down by prison, between 2020 and 2025 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54122/25]
277. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of people sleeping on mattresses in prisons, broken down by prison, in tabular form, between 2020 and 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54123/25]
278. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of drug seizures smuggled into prisons between 2020 and 2025, broken down by prison, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54124/25]
279. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisoners being treated for confirmed substance use disorders in Irish prisons between 2020 and 2025, in tabular form, broken down by prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54125/25]
405. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average percentage of bed capacity used in Irish prisons, by male and female, in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53193/25]
461. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the payments made by the Irish Prison Service to podcasts, influencers, or media outlets since 1 January 2020; the recipient in each case; the amount paid; the purpose of the expenditure and the year in which it was made, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53851/25]
462. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Irish Prison Service has made any payments to persons (details supplied) since 1 January 2020; and if so, the total amount, the number of payments, the date of each payment; and the procurement basis for each. [53852/25]
463. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the details of the procurement process undertaken in respect of the nearly €25,000 payment by the Irish Prison Service to persons (details supplied); if a formal tender was conducted; and if he will provide the business case or approval note underpinning this expenditure. [53853/25]
464. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if any Irish Prison Service payments to podcasts, influencers, or media outlets since 1 January 2020 were made in multiple tranches of under €25,000 each; and if he will clarify whether this practice was used to avoid triggering public tender thresholds. [53854/25]
465. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is satisfied that all Irish Prison Service expenditure on podcasts, influencers, and media outlets since 2020 has complied fully with public procurement law and with the Department’s internal governance requirements; and if he will outline the oversight his Department exercised in approving these expenditures. [53855/25]
466. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total expenditure by the Irish Prison Service on consultancy, media services, and public relations between 1 January 2020 and 30 September 2025; if he will provide a breakdown by year; and if he will specify which contracts were subject to open competitive tender. [53856/25]
467. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will request the Comptroller and Auditor General to conduct a detailed review of Irish Prison Service expenditure on media, podcasts, and influencer contracts since 2020. [53858/25]
468. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will provide a list of all foreign travel undertaken by senior Irish Prison Service executives since 1 January 2020, including the destination, purpose, number of staff travelling, and total cost to the taxpayer in each case. [53859/25]
469. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total cost of single modular housing units provided by the Irish Prison Service since 1 January 2020; the procurement process used for these units; and if he will provide a breakdown of the number of units purchased and their individual costs. [53860/25]
342. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number and percentage of prisoners attending prison education and training centres at present and during each of the past five years; the strategy to ensure greater take-up of such provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52637/25]
682. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason the modern, state of the art courtroom and facilities at Castlerea prison continue to lie idle and unused, resulting in prison staff and prisoners having to regularly undertake a 5-hour round-trip to attend Letterkenny district court instead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51385/25]
709. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total sum, inclusive and exclusive of VAT, paid by the Irish Prison Service to the presenters of a podcast (details supplied) in 2025; the date on which the payment was made; and the budget line from which it was drawn. [51785/25]
710. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the procurement process used by the Irish Prison Service in commissioning promotional content from a podcast (details supplied); if a competitive tender process was undertaken; if so, the number of bids received; if not, the justification for direct award; and if he will make available the documentation supporting this decision. [51786…
711. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the audience reach figures for a podcast episode (details supplied) funded by the Irish Prison Service, including total downloads, listener demographics, geographic distribution, and average listening duration, as reported back to the service. [51787/25]
712. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of applications received for the 2025 prison officer recruitment campaign; the number of applicants who referenced a podcast episode (details supplied) when applying; and the number of candidates subsequently hired who referenced the podcast as their point of engagement with the Irish Prison Service. [51788/25]