Vol. 457 No. 4
165 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Justice the procedures to be followed by Irish prisoners in the United Kingdom who wish to be considered for transfer to jails in the Republic under the terms of the European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. [15575/95]
Under the terms of the European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, which comes into effect on 1 November 1995 between Ireland and the other contracting parties, Irish persons serving sentences in the United Kingdom who wish to be considered for a transfer to serve their sentences in Ireland may apply either directly to the Minister for Justice or to the UK prison authorities via the governor of the prison in which they are in custody. Applications should be made in writing and may be made by the prisoner or by his or her representative. Any applications made directly to the Minister for Justice for a transfer to this jurisdiction from the UK will be transmitted to the UK authorities.
Once an application has been received in either jurisdiction a process of information exchange will commence to allow proper consideration of all the facts of the case. The terms of the Convention provide that for a transfer to take place three way consent is required from the prisoner, the sentencing state and the state to which the transfer is requested. The detailed operation of the prisoner transfer system is at present the subject of discussion between officials of my Department and the Home Office in London.
