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]
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.
-
77
-
71
-
44
-
35
-
24
-
21
-
17
-
14
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
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 investigations, arre…
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; and if he will make …
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 underway, and the residu…
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]
430. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current metrics used on prison overcrowding for example, occupancy rate, number of prisoners sleeping on mattresses; and the immediate measures being taken to address any ongoing overcrowding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67889/25]
434. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason siblings under the age of 18 are not allowed visit a sibling in a prison (details supplied); if this is the case in all prisons; if so, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67945/25]
429. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the measures in place to ensure prisons are subject to regular, independent inspection. [67034/25]
447. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the revised plans for a location (details supplied); the consultation that has taken place or will take place with the local communities of the Ward, Ashbourne and Ratoath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67250/25]
249. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for a national anonymised aggregated count of prison committals by electoral division, based on self-reported address at committal for 2022 and to date in 2025, including an additional column of sex and broad offence type (details supplied). [66747/25]
523. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if the Irish Prison Service is in the process of shutting down the bakery workshop in Mountjoy; the reason for this; the projected annual costs of buying bread for the prisons from another source; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65064/25]
189. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration when works will commence for the new prison planned for Thornton Hall, given the record funding of €2.180 billion for An Garda Síochána, prisons, courts, cyber security and technology; the reason there has been such a significant delay for this development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64246/25]
743. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the criteria and risk assessment processes used by the Irish Prison Service when granting temporary release to prisoners convicted of violent offences, including offences involving assault, weapons, and robbery; and if she is satisfied that current procedures adequately protect public safety. [63009/25]