Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2026
432. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the level of overcrowding in Limerick prison that is, the capacity of the prison, the current number of prisoners held there either on remand or serving sentences, whether our prisons are in breach of international regulations or Government targets; the steps he will take to alleviate any overcrowding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18097/26]
View answerI am, and the government as a whole is, acutely aware of the capacity constraints in our prisons and the resulting challenges faced by those who work and live in our prisons. As well as increasing prison capacity, I am committed to progressing and implementing policies aimed at increasing the use of community sanctions that seek to reduce offending, divert people away from imprisonment, and provide effective rehabilitation.
The Irish Prison Service (IPS) must accept into custody all people committed to prison by the Courts and has no control over the numbers committed to custody at any given time. The IPS has confirmed that information regarding prison capacity and the numbers of prisoners in custody is collated daily by the IPS Statistics Unit and published on its website (www.irishprisons.ie). This information can be found in the Information Centre under Statistics & Information, Daily Prisoner Population.
A record capital investment of €527 million is being provided to IPS over the next 5 years, of which €495 million will be invested in building projects to further increase capacity. The IPS is delivering one of the most significant capital programmes in the justice sector, reflecting the Government’s commitment to increase prison capacity and modernise the estate in line with population growth, with an overall target of delivering over 1,500 spaces by 2031. This includes a large extension to the existing Cork Prison on the site of the old, decommissioned Cork Prison, a new block in Wheatfield, an additional block extension at Midlands prison, and additional spaces at Castlerea, Mountjoy, Cloverhill, Portlaoise and the Dóchas centre.
Since 2024, 232 spaces have been constructed across the Prison Estate, with 126 constructed in 2024 and 106 constructed in 2025. The majority of these spaces are in use, with the remainder coming on stream very soon. There are plans to build another 65 spaces in 2026.
I am also committed to progressing and implementing policies aimed at increasing the use of community sanctions, that seek to reduce offending, divert people away from imprisonment, and provide effective rehabilitation. Budget 2026 provides for a 13% increase in funding for the Probation Service. This additional funding will be used to increase use of supervised community sanctions in the criminal courts, expand restorative justice services, and expand supervised temporary release schemes nationally.
On 9 January, I published the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provision) Bill, which completed second stage on 22 January 2026. The Bill proposes amendments to the Community Service Act 1983 to support and encourage greater use of Community Service Orders (CSOs). It includes an amendment to oblige the courts to consider a CSO in lieu of a prison sentence of up to 24 months’ duration (the current such threshold being 12 months) and to give reasons where they consider that a CSO should not be imposed in such a case. It will further amend sections 3 and 5 of the 1983 Act to increase the maximum community service hours that a judge may order from 240 to 480.
Work is also underway to develop a pilot bail support policy for women as an alternative to being detained in custody while awaiting trial or sentencing.
The Programme for Government also commits to implement electronic tagging for appropriate categories of prisoner. Under Budget 2026 funding of €2.1 million was allocated for the project to allow for staffing, procurement, and other set-up costs. A pilot is expected to be operational in 2026.
The capacity of Limerick Prison (Male) is 338 and Limerick Prison (Female) is 56. On 2 March 2026, there were 422 prisoners in custody in Limerick Prison (Male) and 92 in Limerick Prison (Female).
The Government made significant capital funding available to the IPS to enhance the existing infrastructure and provide additional capacity through the redevelopment of Limerick prison, including building a new women’s prison to replace the old women's wing which dated from 1821. This project was delivered in 2023 at a cost of €70.1 million.
The Irish Prison Service continues to assess opportunities to identify and utilise additional capacity within the existing estate, including through the optimisation or repurposing of accommodation where appropriate. Any such increases will be reflected in the daily population figures published on the IPS website.
