Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
862. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the capacity of open prisons in the Irish prison system, by location, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40016/26]
View answer864. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the capacity of each of the Irish prison centres, by location; how many are over capacity; the number of people that are detained in each facility, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40018/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 862 and 864 together.
The Irish Prison Service (IPS) is required to accept into custody all persons committed by the Courts and the IPS has no role in determining the number of committals at any given time.
The information sought by the Deputy regarding prison capacity is collated daily by the Irish Prison Service 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. including population change from 2015 to date: where changes in population can be viewed from 2015 to 2026 at www.irishprisons.ie/information-centre/statistics-information/2015-daily-prisoner-population.
As of 21 May 2026, the prison population stands at 124% of operational capacity. The information sought by the Deputy on the capacity of each of the Irish prison locations is set out in the below table. The two Open Prisons in the State - Shelton Abbey and Loughan House - are included in the below table.
Where the number of people in custody exceeds the maximum capacity in any prison, officials in the Irish Prison Service make every effort to manage this through the use of Temporary Release, where appropriate. Decisions on Temporary Release are made on a case-by-case basis, and the safety of the public is paramount.
I am acutely aware of the capacity constraints in our prisons and the challenges faced by those who work and live in our prisons as a result. I am pursuing a dual approach to address the issue of prison overcrowding by both increasing prison capacity and pursuing measures to support increased use of non-custodial sanctions.
Since 2024, 232 spaces have been constructed across the Prison Estate, with 126 delivered in 2024 and 106 in 2025. There are plans to build another 65 spaces in 2026. In addition, Government has allocated funding for a significant building programme across the prison estate. I have secured a record capital investment of €528 million for the Irish Prison Service (IPS) over the next 5 years, of which €495 million will be invested to deliver one of the most significant capital building programmes in the justice sector, with an overall target of delivering over 1,500 prison spaces by 2031.
