To ask the Minister of Justice for her assessment of the pressures facing the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

Mrs Long

The Northern Ireland Prison Service, like all public services, has faced budgetary pressures over a number of years. In response, it has made significant efforts to drive efficiencies, where possible. In doing so, however, it has at all times been mindful of the need to ensure the safety of prisoners and staff. The rising prisoner population places pressure on the Northern Ireland Prison Service and on all prison services across the UK and Ireland. On 1 February 2022, the total prisoner population in Northern Ireland was 1,601. On 1 February 2025, it had increased by almost 20%, to 1,913. Between 1 February 2023 and 1 February 2025 alone, there was an increase in prisoner numbers of 170. The Prison Service is dealing with a greater number of complex individuals in custody with poor mental health and drug and alcohol addictions. It is also dealing with higher numbers of older people in prison. As a result of the increase in the prisoner population, and following a review of operational staffing levels, I have approved the recruitment of a further 75 prison officers. The Prison Service remains focused on supporting the rehabilitation of people in custody so that, when they leave prison, they are able to resettle and contribute in a meaningful way that supports the Executive's commitment to making communities safer. The Prison Service's ability to deliver on that work, however, has been impacted on by the rising prisoner population, the high number of remand prisoners and short-sentence prisoners and a rise in the number of public protection cases. In response to those pressures, the Prison Service has commissioned a review of its rehabilitation model. The review is scheduled to be completed within the next few months. Its findings may mean that additional funding is required in order to support rehabilitation work. I will consider any such funding requests sympathetically. The Prison Service is a robust and agile organisation that, over many years, has proven itself to be able to change and adapt. The results of the recent Hydebank Wood Secure College inspections are a testament to that determination, and I am confident that the Prison Service can continue to respond to the pressures that it faces from having a rising prisoner population.

Mrs Long

I thank the Member for his question. Each prison establishment is distinct. Hydebank Wood is the smallest such establishment in Northern Ireland. Despite its size, it comes with its own complexity from housing young male and female prisoners on a single site. Although the young male population there has remained relatively stable, the young female population has increased from 70 to 113 between February 2022 and February 2025. Magilligan is an adult male prison that primarily holds sentenced prisoners as they progress towards release. Its prisoner population is being managed carefully in order to sustain it at as close to its capacity of 500 prisoners as possible. The reason for the careful population management is to alleviate the ongoing pressure on the prison. Maghaberry is the largest and most complex prison in Northern Ireland. It is a high-security prison for sentenced and unsentenced adult male prisoners in integrated and separated conditions. Since February 2022, the population of Maghaberry prison has increased by 25%, to 1,270. Nearly half of the prisoners held there — 632 — are on remand.

Mr Dunne

The number of assaults on prison staff has trebled over the past four years, from 32 in 2020 to 96 in 2024. Does the Minister feel that that has had an averse impact on the recent recruitment campaign? What more can be done to tackle what is a growing problem?

Mrs Long

Based on the number of people who have applied, the recent recruitment campaign has been quite successful. Northern Ireland remains in a much healthier position than other jurisdictions that have run recruitment campaigns. The increase in the number of assaults has undoubtedly has an impact on the prison staff already in place, however. When there is more disruption and a more volatile situation in prisons, which is the case when prisoner numbers are increasing, people are often unable to benefit from having the full regime. As a result, they get frustrated, and volatility increases. It is therefore a spiralling situation. Nevertheless, we have managed to keep the prisons reasonably stable and safe. As prisoner numbers grow, however, there is a challenge with the access that people have to opportunities to let off steam and to avail themselves of therapy and education as part of the full regime. That is challenging for prison officers as well, because it means that people are spending longer in their cell. It is important that the recruitment of new officers to the Prison Service allow us to have additional officers in place over the summer in order to restore the full regime. As I said, it will then be important, through the review, to look at what we can do around rehabilitation that better reflects the new prisoner population that we now have to manage in the establishments.

Mr Beattie

The Minister 's answer feeds in well to the question that I am about to ask about pressures and the moral component. The Department of Finance believes that the sickness-absence policy for the Northern Ireland Prison Service should be the same as that for all civil servants. Does the Minister agree that the policy should take account of the unique role of our Prison Service? What is she doing to get DOF to change the policy to reflect that unique role?

Mrs Long

We recognise that, across the Civil Service, there are people acting in front-line roles whose jobs are distinct and different from those of people who are office-based and do not have to interact with members of the public who, often, are vulnerable and volatile. The Prison Service has a unique situation, which is why we have put unique supports in place, whether those are through access to the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust (PRRT) — and the work that is done there in psychology, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and training, where required, for prison officers — or in the work that we do in prisons to support prison officers in their role. It is important that we drive down sickness absence, but I recognise that sickness absence can be driven up because people work longer hours and take additional shifts when the Prison Service is under stress. One of the reasons that it is so important that we recruit a new cadre of officers is so that we can relieve some of that pressure and allow officers who are suffering from stress to make their way back into the system. Any HR system has to look at the roles and functions that somebody is involved in. That does not mean that there has to be a different system, but the system has to be sensitive to the nature of the role. That is standard HR procedure.

Mr McNulty

I thank the Minister for her answers thus far. Minister, to what extent are disputes with legal practitioners and the associated strike action putting the prison system under further duress?

Mrs Long

To be clear, there is no dispute with legal practitioners; there is a dispute with the criminal Bar. The remainder of the legal practitioners continue to work and are working with me. Only the criminal Bar has withdrawn its services at this point — certainly, as far as I am aware, that is the case. I met the criminal Bar in the past week or so to work through some of the issues that it raised. Of course, the remand population increases if there are delays to trial. Delays mean that, potentially, there will be people in prison who should not be in prison and people who are not in prison who should be. The criminal Bar should reflect on that as it decides how to take its action forward.