737. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the percentage of female prisoners in the Dóchas prison who were pregnant on committal between 2021 and 2024, including the 22 pregnant women recorded in 2024 and the 12 to date in 2025; and if he will outline any measures being taken to divert pregnant women charged with non-violent offences from custodial settings. [39462/25]
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
738. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if she will state clearly whether women with children are currently being held in the general female prison population alongside other prisoners; and if so, how this aligns with the rights of the child under the UN convention on the rights of the child. [39463/25]
740. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the percentage of pregnant women in custody who are on remand; the number of these cases that involve non-violent offences; and whether he will consider issuing revised guidelines to reduce the use of custodial remand for pregnant women, particularly in cases involving minor or survival-related offences. [39465/25]
741. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to confirm the number of babies born to women in custody between 2021 and 2024; and to provide details on the supports available to pregnant women and mothers in custody, including whether all births took place in hospital settings. [39466/25]
742. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the specific measures being taken to address the health and safety of pregnant women in custody, in light of persistent overcrowding in the Dóchas Centre, operating above its 105-bed capacity and Limerick Prison's female wing, which has been reported as running at over 150% of its stated capacity; and whether pregnant women are current…
758. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is aware of a serious incident that occurred in Cloverhill Prison on the 6 April 2013 where a prison officer suffered a serious injury necessitating substantial spinal surgery (details supplied), if the Minster can confirm that this incident was recorded as an ‘OID’ in records of prison service; and if he will make a stateme…
767. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average the number of pregnant women held in prison in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39633/25]
768. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of births in Irish prisons in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39634/25]
770. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of infants under the age of 12 months housed in prisons in the state in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39636/25]
772. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if there are separate units for mothers with babies in each relevant prison; if there have been incidents of babies housed in general population; if separate risk assessments are carried out in such instances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39638/25]
633. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of people in prison who were on waiting lists to access psychology services, as of June 2025, by days waiting list, by prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37306/25]
634. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline mental health waiting lists within prisons, for a breakdown of these across prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37307/25]
639. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline his plans to improve capacity issues in the Irish prison service given The Irish Penal Reform Trust has identified that the prison population is exceeding capacity and it is leading to cramped and undignified conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37350/25]
5. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the actions his Department is taking to provide additional prison places to meet current and future demand. [36720/25]
7. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will expand on the proposals for the use of the old prison site at Rathmore Road, Cork city; if he will engage with the Irish Prison Service to ensure any extension to that facility includes a provision for community use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35407/25]
18. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps being taken to address overcrowding in prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36681/25]
61. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the measures his Department is taking to address prison overcrowding, in light of recent figures showing that prison capacity stands at 115%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36527/25]
62. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the process in place within the Irish Prison Service system to co-ordinate services for the person being released, both in respect of their housing needs and the financial aid they require from the Department of Social Protection to ensure they have adequate supports in place when released; and if he will make a statement on the matter. …
64. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if the progression unit in Mountjoy Prison will reopen fully; if there are plans to open a similar facility elsewhere; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36607/25]
293. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps being taken to ensure Ireland’s prison system complies fully with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Mandela Rules), particularly regarding the use of solitary confinement, access to healthcare, contact with the outside world and access to rehabilitation supports; and if he will comm…
168. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the channels that exist for a prisoner in the UK, with family connections in Ireland, to be transferred to the Irish prison system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36253/25]
563. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he has explored average sentence length and the impact living in an area of deprivation has on these for similar crimes. [35517/25]
148. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration on each occasion since January 2024 where a serious offender was granted bail or released early due to prison or detention centre overcrowding, the nature of the offence that was, the alternative arrangements that were made for public safety, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34907/25]
149. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prison or remand places occupied in the past 12 months by individuals detained purely for immigration-related reasons; and the total cost of this to the State. [34908/25]
150. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the assessment that has been made of the risk to public safety posed by the release or non-detention of individuals accused of involvement in organised crime due to the lack of remand spaces; and if he will publish this assessment. [34910/25]