Report into Cork Prison delayed until action plan completed

A report on Cork Prison still cannot be published eight months after the Government received it, until an action plan is complete, the minister for justice has said.

Cork North Central Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould asked in the Dáil when the report from the Inspector of Prisons would be published.

The report was received by the Department of Justice in March, and its current status is “noted by Cabinet, with publication to follow shortly”, the department confirmed earlier this month.

The report is expected to detail deaths linked to the prison, which doubled last year compared to 2023, as well as problems accessing a GP and low staff morale in Cork Prison, all of which were mentioned in the Office of the Inspector of Prisons’ annual report for 2024.

Noted

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan told Mr Gould that the report has been noted by Cabinet, but that, eight months on from the report being given to the department, and longer still since the inspection was carried out, the Irish Prison Service is still working on an action plan to deal with issues identified in the report, which will not be published until the action plan is.

Mr O’Callaghan explained: “The Irish Prison Service is expected to submit an action plan in response to the recommendations made in this report and the Inspector of Prisons has requested that the inspection report and action plan are published at the same time.

“The department is liaising with the Irish Prison Service and the Inspector of Prisons to progress publication of both documents.”