Significant work has been undertaken in recent years to increase capacity across the prison estate. Since 2022, the Irish Prison Service (IPS) has constructed 446 additional prison spaces. I have secured a record capital investment of €527 million for the IPS over the next 5 years, of which €495 million will be invested in building projects, to further increase capacity, with an overall target of delivering over 1,500 spaces by 2031. This includes an extension to Cork Prison, a new block in Wheatfield, an additional block extension at Midlands prison, and additional spaces at Castlerea, Mountjoy, Cloverhill, Portlaoise, Limerick and the Dóchas centre.
I also sought an exemption for 6 projects (960 prison spaces) to move straight to Approval Gate 2 – Pre Tender Approval of the Infrastructure Guidelines, a measure which is expected to speed up the delivery of these projects by 12 to 18 months.
While Limerick Prison is the committal prison for the Mid-West counties of Clare, Limerick and Tipperary for male prisoners and for all female prisoner committals from the Munster region, it also accommodates prisoners from other counties. The bed capacity for Limerick Prison at year end 2014, 2019, 2024 for male and female prisoners is set out in the tables below. Prison spaces per capita on a regional basis is not a statistic that is calculated given the composition of the prison population across the estate.
Increased capacity was provided at Limerick Prison in late 2023 with the opening of the new B Wing, providing an additional 90 male prison spaces, and with the opening of the new female wing, providing an additional 28 female prison spaces in a mix of accommodation types.
In 2025 the IPS also provided an additional 52 male prison spaces at Limerick Prison with the refurbishment and recommissioning of the old A Wing and the old female E Wing, which has seen the total capacity of the Prison increase to 338 (male) and 56 (female).
Table 1: Bed Capacity in Limerick Prison - 2014, 2019, 2024 and 2026 (to date)
|
|
Bed Capacity - Male
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Bed Capacity - Female
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|
2014
|
220
|
28
|
|
2019
|
210
|
28
|
|
2024
|
286
|
56
|
|
2026 (to date)
|
338
|
56
|
