630. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current average annual cost of keeping a person in prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33935/25]
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
680. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of people held in solitary confinement 22+ hour lock up for more than 15 consecutive days during 2024; the number of people held in solitary confinement 22+ hour lock up for more than three months during 2024; the number of people held in solitary confinement 22+ hour lock up for more than six months’ during 2024; the number…
350. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of unserved prison sentences in the State last year, and each of the last five years; the number that were given unserved time on occasions; the reason unserved time is offered to persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33345/25]
121. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on education and training as well as employment provisions in Irish prisons; and his views on how these measures can work to prevent recidivism. [33089/25]
603. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of people incarcerated in Irish prisons as of 31 December in each year from 1990 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32076/25]
604. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number currently being detained in Irish prisons; the total number who are Irish citizens, citizens of the UK or EU/EEA, and from the rest of the world; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32077/25]
609. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the prison visitation committee application of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32121/25]
619. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the criteria used to determine suitability of a site for a new prison building.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32261/25]
621. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he has contacted the Land Development Agency or any other agency to discuss potential greenfield sites for a new prison in Cork. [32263/25]
622. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline the engagement he has had with the community in the Glen, Cork, regarding the proposed second prison. [32264/25]
623. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline the engagement he has had with local Gardaí in the Glen, Cork, regarding the proposed second prison. [32265/25]
624. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to publish the report into the Old Cork Prison site immediately. [32266/25]
625. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Irish Prison Service supports the new prison in the Glen, Cork. [32267/25]
627. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the timeline for the re-appointment of a Prison Visiting Committee (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32467/25]
439. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the work of his Department to address overcrowding in prisons. [31748/25]
440. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of approved actions following the Prison Overcrowding Response Group’s report that have been successfully implemented to date in 2025. [31749/25]
441. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration how his Department plans to address the gap between the current plans to increase available prisoner spaces by 1,100 between 2024 and 2030 and the Programme for Government’s commitment to expand capacity by 1,500 spaces. [31750/25]
443. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the need for investment in the Irish Prison Services ICT capabilities. [31756/25]
123. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for the secure unit allowance to be extended to all teachers teaching in both closed medium and high security prisons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30900/25]
968. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prison officers that retired from Irish Prison Service in 2023, 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form. [28902/25]
1039. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he has plans to introduce constitutional or legislative reforms that would more explicitly define the role, function, or limitations of the prison system in line with human rights obligations. [30219/25]
1051. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the status of the Thornton Hall prison site in north County Dublin, Fingal, in light of recent announcements on the increase in prison spaces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30428/25]
448. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice to provide a breakdown of staffing costs for the bail supervision service, by job position; the breakdown of staffing levels by job position; the plans to increase this funding in the upcoming budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28405/25]
833. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on if the Prison Education Taskforce's Retrofit Skills Course at QQI Level 5 will be rolled out to any further prisons. [27266/25]
294. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice to update on his discussions with the Irish Prison Service and with Government colleagues on his proposal to reopen the Old Cork Prison in the Glen. [26393/25]