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]
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
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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
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]
713. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the cost per applicant and cost per recruit arising from the Irish Prison Service’s podcast sponsorship with (details supplied); and the way in which the figures compare with the cost per applicant and recruit generated through other channels such as digital advertising, radio, or print media. [51789/25]
714. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the oversight and editorial approval process used in relation to the content of a sponsored podcast (details supplied); the number of edits requested by the Irish Prison Service; and the official or officials who signed off on the final broadcast version. [51790/25]
715. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if a post-campaign evaluation or audit of the Irish Prison Service’s podcast sponsorship was undertaken; if so, to provide the evaluation or audit report; and whether the campaign was assessed as achieving value for money. [51791/25]
716. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if the Irish Prison Service intends to undertake further sponsored podcast partnerships or similar promotional arrangements in 2026 and beyond; and if so, the mechanisms which will be put in place to guarantee value for money and accountability in such spending. [51792/25]
717. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on the provision of additional prison places in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51797/25]
724. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration following a ruling from the Civil Service Arbitration Board in May 2025 (details supplied); if he intends to adjust salaries of prison chaplains; if adjustments will be backdated to July 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51959/25]
314. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisoners in the general population in prisons diagnosed with psychosis; if the prisoners are receiving the appropriate treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50889/25]
315. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisoners waiting for a court date to determine their fitness for trial under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50890/25]
316. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisoners transferred to a facility (details supplied) for mental health supports in the past two years; the reason they did not received treatment from the Central Mental Hospital; the cost of treatment in the facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50891/25]
122. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the status of the independent external review of the chaplaincy service within the Irish Prison Service; the timeframe for the implementation of the review's recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50720/25]
34. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she is taking to address the increased challenges for staff of Oberstown youth detention centre in County Dublin to ensure the safety of those detained there and the staff working there; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35136/25]
441. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the rationale for changing the kennelling requirement for prison service dogs to home-kennelling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49712/25]
442. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is aware that dog handlers who are not homeowners are being redeployed within the Prison Service due to being unable to fulfil the new requirement to home kennel the dog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49713/25]
443. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if there is an appeals mechanism available to an individual employed within the Prison Service as a dog handler who has had to forfeit their position as a dog handler due to them not being able to kennel the dog at home as they not a homeowner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49714/25]
865. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to the Irish Prison Service Annual Report 2024, noting 213 prisoners sleeping on cell floors representing a 150–156% annual increase, the daily average population versus design capacity in 2024 and 2025 to date; the implementation timeline, monthly targets, and KPIs for electronic monitoring for bail, post-release supervision, …
867. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if she will publish the number of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on cell floors in each prison; the number of bail-eligible prisoners held on remand due to the absence of electronic tagging or community supervision; and the Department’s specific 2025 targets for expanding electronic monitoring, including procurement status, KPIs, and…
868. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if she will provide the average and maximum time spent on remand since 2020; the proportion of remand prisoners subsequently convicted of non-custodial offences; and the Department’s current policy on crediting time served on remand towards sentence calculation, by prison. [48136/25]
869. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of committals to prison in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, by sentence length; and the number of individuals committed to prison in 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025 who have served or are serving their first custodial sentence in Ireland. [48160/25]
870. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of people remanded to custody in 2024 and to date in 2025. [48161/25]
871. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of people remanded to custody who did not receive a sentence of imprisonment, either through no conviction or through receiving a sentence less than imprisonment in 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48162/25]