105. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the prisons that permit conjugal visits; the number of these which took place in each of these prisons in the past three years and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57449/25]
Topics / Prison Service
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsPrison Service
493 questions from 78 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
493
questions
486 written, 7 oral
78
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
7
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 9 |
| February 2025 | 27 |
| March 2025 | 14 |
| April 2025 | 23 |
| May 2025 | 23 |
| June 2025 | 25 |
| July 2025 | 51 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 46 |
| October 2025 | 25 |
| November 2025 | 31 |
| December 2025 | 24 |
| January 2026 | 37 |
| February 2026 | 19 |
| March 2026 | 18 |
| April 2026 | 16 |
| May 2026 | 65 |
| June 2026 | 11 |
| July 2026 | 12 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 8 |
| October 2026 | 9 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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77
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71
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44
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35
-
24
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21
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17
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14
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
562. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department, and the Prison Service, will consider extending the mandatory retirement age for prison officers beyond the current 62 years. [56612/25]
588. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason the 1 percent pay increase has not been paid to prison staff that was due on 1 September 2025; if staff working in the Irish Prison Service headquarters in Longford have received the 1 percent increase; when all prison staff will receive the pay increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56848/25]
687. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the work his Department is undertaking to reduce overcrowding in prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54796/25]
704. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the WTE staffing of the Irish Prison Service; the allocation and expenditure related to such, in the years 2020 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54945/25]
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]
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]