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Parliamentary Question: Irish Prison Service

31st January 2007

414. Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action he will take to ensure that the new system of annualised hours in the prison system will no longer result in cutbacks in rehabilitation targeted services to prisoners (details supplied). [2381/07]

Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell): I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that the additional hours system has not resulted in a curtailment of services to prisoners in Wheatfield Prison. While it is the case that the agreed staffing configurations in the industrial area in Wheatfield Prison have not yet been achieved, it is expected that they will be achieved very shortly. In the meantime, however, all workshops in Wheatfield Prison are open on a daily basis Monday to Friday.

Local management has succeeded in maintaining a high level of service to prisoners. Wheatfield Prison has gained major national and international awards for its kitchen and catering workshop facilities and community services and other awards for a range of other workshops. A very wide range of subjects are taught in the workshops to improve offenders employability on release from custody. For example, a new laundry facility provides accredited training for prisoners which has already facilitated trainees obtaining employment placement on release. A wide range of subjects, which include Open University courses, are also taught in the Education Unit which is operational five days per week, Monday to Friday.

In addition, dedicated additional staff have recently been appointed to Wheatfield Prison in the drug treatment area and Addiction Counsellors will be appointed shortly. This is in line with the Irish Prison Service Drugs Policy & Strategy - 'Keeping Drugs Out of Prisons'. Finally, a new system for focusing on rehabilitation in the prison system, Integrated Sentence Management, has recently been introduced in Wheatfield Prison on a pilot basis.

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