Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 July 2025
737. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the percentage of female prisoners in the Dóchas prison who were pregnant on committal between 2021 and 2024, including the 22 pregnant women recorded in 2024 and the 12 to date in 2025; and if he will outline any measures being taken to divert pregnant women charged with non-violent offences from custodial settings. [39462/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra738. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if she will state clearly whether women with children are currently being held in the general female prison population alongside other prisoners; and if so, how this aligns with the rights of the child under the UN convention on the rights of the child. [39463/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra740. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the percentage of pregnant women in custody who are on remand; the number of these cases that involve non-violent offences; and whether he will consider issuing revised guidelines to reduce the use of custodial remand for pregnant women, particularly in cases involving minor or survival-related offences. [39465/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra741. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to confirm the number of babies born to women in custody between 2021 and 2024; and to provide details on the supports available to pregnant women and mothers in custody, including whether all births took place in hospital settings. [39466/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra742. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the specific measures being taken to address the health and safety of pregnant women in custody, in light of persistent overcrowding in the Dóchas Centre, operating above its 105-bed capacity and Limerick Prison's female wing, which has been reported as running at over 150% of its stated capacity; and whether pregnant women are currently being accommodated in cells without adequate medical access or privacy. [39467/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra767. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average the number of pregnant women held in prison in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39633/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra768. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of births in Irish prisons in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39634/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra770. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of infants under the age of 12 months housed in prisons in the state in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39636/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra772. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if there are separate units for mothers with babies in each relevant prison; if there have been incidents of babies housed in general population; if separate risk assessments are carried out in such instances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39638/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 737, 738, 740, 741, 742, 767, 768, 770 and 772 together.
Pregnant woman in custody are provided with as much privacy as possible and are accommodated in single occupancy rooms.
In accordance with Rule 17 of the Prison Rules, 2007 (S.I. No. 252/2007) a child may remain in the care of their mother in prison, until the child has reached twelve months of age.
In the Dóchas Centre, mothers and babies are accommodated in single occupancy double rooms. These rooms are on a small landing which is shared with enhanced status prisoners. Work is commencing in relation to additional, bespoke rooms for mothers and babies in the Dóchas Centre.
Limerick Women's Prison does not have a separate building for women with children, however the women and their babies are accommodated in ‘independent style apartments’. Each has their own individual apartment. This overall area is not specifically for women with babies and may house other prisoners deemed suitable to live in these "independent style apartments".
In relation to the health and safety of pregnant women in custody, the Irish Prison Service has confirmed that they have developed and apply bespoke risk assessments to both pregnant women and to mothers and babies who are in their custody. These risk assessments inform strategies which support managing the health and safety of pregnant women, and mothers who have given birth to babies whilst serving prison sentences, within the prison environment.
The Irish Prison Service has also employed a National Family Connections Officer. In May 2025 this Officer established a multi-agency working group to review Protocols and update the Irish Prison Service Mother and Baby Policy to ensure best practice for the care and support of mothers and babies in custody. This work is currently at scoping stage.
I can further advise the Deputy that the level of maternity care and supports provided to women in custody, is comparable to that available to women in the community. Primary care nursing is provided in female prisons on a 24/7 basis, 365 days a year. Doctor services are available Monday to Friday 9-5, with locum services available at the weekends. Due to the specific needs of a number of the women who are pregnant, specialist HSE services have a very close and responsive working relationship with both prison management and the prison healthcare team. Most pregnant women receive all their antenatal care external to the prison, in routine antenatal clinics in the local HSE maternity hospital. When needed and in cases of emergency, specialist midwives will attend the prison; however, this is not a common occurrence.
Expectant mothers are always facilitated to have their children born in hospital.
I can confirm that there are currently no pregnant women remanded to custody within the Irish Prison Estate.
I am committed to progressing and implementing policies aimed at increasing the use of community sanctions, that reduce offending, divert people away from imprisonment, and provide effective rehabilitation.
In May, I published the Community Service - New Directions Implementation Plan 2025-2027 by the Probation Service. This plan sets out commitments to drive the delivery and support the increased use of Community Service as a robust and meaningful alternative to imprisonment.
A range of actions to address capacity issues in our prisons was also agreed in June 2024 following on from the report of the Prison Overcrowding Response Group and work to implement these actions is ongoing.
Among these actions was the introduction in 2024 of a pilot Structured Temporary Release Scheme for suitable candidates in Limerick Women’s Prison. Recognising the positive impact of the pilot so far, the eligibility criteria for the scheme is now being extended on a phased basis to include more women in the prison.
The data requested is in the attached four tables: Table 1 Births to women in custody 2021 and 2024 and 2025 to date; Table 2 The number of pregnant women held in prison in each of the last five years; Table 3 The percentage of women prisoners who were pregnant on committal between 2021 and 2024 and to date in 2025 and Table 4 Number of infants under 12 months who were accommodated with their mothers in female prisons during each of the past five years.
