Prison Service

1730. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps he has taken, or intends to take to address prison overcrowding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1307/26]

1731. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the existing rehabilitative programmes and services available in each prison or detention centre, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1308/26]

1732. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps he will take to increase the number of rehabilitative programmes and services available in Irish prisons and detention centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1309/26]

578. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to publish the current number of prisoners in each prison, broken down by gender; to outline the plans under the Future Prison Capacity Working Group established in 2024 to increase prison capacity in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73746/25]

669. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if the proposed new wing, for the planned extension at Midlands Prison in Portlaoise recently approved by Cabinet as part of a fast-tracked expansion, is to be constructed on the site currently occupied by the prison's award-winning horticulture facility; if so, the rationale for dismantling a nationally-recognised …

719. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisoners who were granted temporary release in each of the past five years; of those, the number who committed a criminal offence while on temporary release; the breakdown of such offences by category for example, violent, property and drug-related; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [719…

732. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the publication of the latest Inspector of Prisons report into Cork Prison. [72097/25]

733. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on plans for a second prison in the Glen; and whether he has met with the community on same. [72098/25]

250. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of prisoners currently in custody across the State; the number of prisoners serving short-term sentences (under 18 months); and for a breakdown of the number of prisoners serving sentences under 18 months, for each of the past five years, in tabular form. [70390/25]

251. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average monthly cost to the State of housing a prisoner. [70391/25]

252. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current level of overcrowding in prisons; the percentage occupancy rate for each prison; and the measures being taken to address overcrowding. [70392/25]

670. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the actions his Department is taking to establish a standardised and comprehensive data-recording framework for drone-related contraband incidents across the prison estate, including the development of specific incident classifications or codes for use by both the Irish Prison Service and An Garda Síochána, so that …

671. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will direct the Irish Prison Service to publish an annual statistical report on drone incursions into prisons, including institution-level incident numbers, contraband recovered, and associated outcomes notified to his Department by An Garda Síochána, in a manner that does not compromise operational security; …

672. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if a formal written risk assessment on drone incursions into prisons is currently in place; the risk rating applied to drone-enabled contraband within the prison security framework; and if he will lay before Dáil Éireann a redacted summary setting out the main vulnerabilities identified, the mitigation measures unde…

380. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if there is a rule whereby siblings under the age of 18 when accompanied by a parent are not allowed visit their sibling in Cork Prison; and if so, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68862/25]

416. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of recorded drone incursions at each prison in the State in the past five years, broken down by year and by institution, and the types of contraband recovered from those incidents. [67737/25]

417. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total quantity and classification of contraband recovered following drone incursions into prisons since 2020, including drugs, weapons, mobile phones, SIM cards, and other prohibited items. [67738/25]

418. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current security technology in place in each prison to detect, deter, or disable drone incursions; the date each system was installed; and the planned upgrades for 2026. [67739/25]

419. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current staffing levels assigned to perimeter security in each prison; the standard operating procedures for responding to drone incursions; and the number of times these procedures were activated in the past three years. [67740/25]

420. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of criminal investigations initiated as a result of drone-related contraband entering the prison system since 2020; the number of arrests; the number of charges; and the number of convictions secured. [67741/25]

421. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department has conducted any assessment of links between drone-delivered contraband and organised criminal groups; and if he will outline the findings of any such assessments. [67742/25]

422. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated financial impact on the prison system arising from drone-related contraband since 2020, including security responses, detection equipment, staff overtime, drug-treatment interventions, and property damage. [67743/25]

423. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will publish the most recent internal risk assessment relating to drone incursions into prisons, including risk ratings, mitigation measures, and outstanding vulnerabilities identified. [67744/25]

424. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department has examined international counter-drone models used in the UK, Canada, or the Netherlands for prison protection; and if he will provide details of any pilot projects or procurement considerations underway. [67745/25]

425. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether additional statutory powers are required by the Prison Service or An Garda Síochána to disable or intercept drones approaching prison facilities; and if he will outline any planned legislative proposals. [67746/25]