The annual cost of housing a prisoner has increased to almost €100,000 the Dáil Public Accounts Committee was told on Thursday. The cost of housing a prisoner works out at €256 daily, the meeting heard.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr Seamus McCarthy, told the meeting that the Department of Justice’s overall expenditure during 2024 for Vote 24 totalled just under €661 million – an increase of almost €110 million or 20% from €551 million in 2023. Total expenditure for the Irish Prison Service under was €501 million in 2024.
The criminal justice pillar accounted for 60% of the expenditure (€404 million) while a civil justice pillar accounted for the remaining 40% of expenditure (€257 million).
Director general of the Irish Prison Service, Caron McCaffrey, also appeared before the committee, saying that the system is now operating at almost 120 per cent of capacity. She pointed to a sustained growth in the prison population in Ireland, with a 9.6 per cent rise in committals, with over 5,500 people in custody.
“The cost of keeping a person in custody has also increased by almost 12 per cent, with the annual cost of a prison space in 2024 being €99,072,” Ms McCaffrey said.
“To accommodate these increasing demands, significant investments were made in the prison estate, including in capital projects, to improve security, expand capacity, and modernise facilities.”
€71 A NIGHT FOR ACCOMMODATION PER IPAS APPLICANT
Separately, the committee also heard that to date, the Department of Justice has spent almost €1 billion on third-party contracts for accommodation and related services for International Protection applicants, €230 of which went to just seven providers. Questions were raised about how providers for contracted accommodation were chosen, and if this was done “fairly and lawfully.”
The total related expenditure for the provision of accommodation and related services to International Protection applicants is estimated at €2.38 billion for 2024, the committee heard.
David Delaney, Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Justice, told the committee that there had been a “very large growth” in a short space of time regarding the IPAS system, with the number of beds growing from 7,000 to 27,000 in the space of two years.
The committee heard that 17 contracts had been terminated with providers on the basis of non-compliance. It further heard that there were challenges around public trust, and that the “public are looking on and thinking that significant sums are being paid out here,” regarding the cost of the IPAS system.
The nightly cost of housing an IPAS applicant averages €71, the committee heard.
The Department was asked by Kildare North TD Joe Neville if it had taken steps to “reduce the number of people coming into the country,” seeing as it was “overwhelmed” by the numbers of beds required.
“You didn’t take any steps to reduce the numbers coming in, is that correct?” Deputy Neville told Oonagh McPhillips, Secretary General at the Department of Justice, told the committee, accusing her of failing to answer the question properly when she referred to the war in Ukraine, saying that at one point, the State had to accommodate 1,000 people a day arriving from Ukraine. “No major steps were taken,” he asserted.
“Are we still allowing people who come into Dublin Airport to arrive with torn-up passports?” the Fine Gael TD asked the official. A “number of measures” had been introduced to deal with the problem, the committee heard.
“The law can always be changed, but currently they’re still allowed [to do so],” Mr Neville said.
The committee heard that €978 million had been paid to third-parties – €230 million paid to seven providers alone. Responding, the Department insisted that a “system of control” existed. However, it was accepted that it was very difficult, if not impossible, in many cases, to know who the shareholders in the companies receiving State contracts were.
“I’m an accountant […] I’ve looked at it, and it’s very hard, nearly almost impossible in some cases, for me to track,” Deputy Neville said regarding beneficiaries of IPAS applicants.
The Department of Justice also told today’s committee that around 60,000 people from countries including Brazil and India have arrived in Ireland over the past 12 months.