Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 581: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of cells in each institution here; the number that accommodate two, three, four or more prisoners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15313/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below as of the 14 April 2010. The breakdown of occupied cell accommodation per prison for that date is listed in table below.

It should be noted that some prisons/place of detentions have dormitory style accommodation.In the case of Castlerea Prison, 55 prisoners are held in "The Grove" which is regarded as residential type accommodation.

As the Deputy will appreciate the Irish Prison Service must accept all prisoners committed by the Courts into its custody and do not have the option of refusing committals. It is the case that there has been a consistent increase in the total prisoner population over recent years. This situation is particularly apparent over the past 12 months during which time the total number in custody has increased by 315. This represents over 8% of a rise in the number in custody.

The Irish Prison Service has been engaged in an extensive programme of investment in prisons infrastructure which has involved both the modernisation of the existing estate and the provision of extra prison spaces. Since 1997 in excess of 1,720 new prison spaces have come on stream in the prison system. These include the new prisons in Castlerea, the Midlands, Cloverhill, the Dóchas Centre and new accommodation in Limerick, Portlaoise and Castlerea prisons and at the open centres in Shelton Abbey and Loughan House.

More recently the re-opening of the Separation Unit in Mountjoy provided an additional 50 spaces. Current projects will see a further 200 prison spaces provided in the short term by means of a new block in Wheatfield Prison. In addition, work is expected to commence in late 2010 on a new accommodation block in the Portlaoise/Midlands prisons complex which will provide 300 prison spaces.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 582: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners here who have less than seven hours out of cell time; the number of hours such prisoners have out of their cells each day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15314/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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On 15 April, 2010 there were 317 prisoners falling into the category referred to by the Deputy. This represents just under 8% of the prisoner population on that date. The vast majority of these cases are prisoners who require protection and whose regimes have to be restricted for their own safety. There is also a small number of prisoners who are subject to a restricted regime because of medical reasons.

The location of these persons is set out in the following table:

The other institutions in the prison estate have no persons in this category.