Vol. 477 No. 5
72 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the representations, if any, which have been made by the Irish Government on behalf of a prisoner who has served over 20 years in prison in Britain for a crime he claims he never committed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9872/97]
Through the Embassy in London we have made representations to the British Home Office on behalf of this prisoner on several occasions. In March and July 1996 we asked that it deal speedily with a submission made to that office by his solicitor seeking referral of the case back to the Court of Appeal.
The Home Office informed the Embassy on 10 July 1996 that it had asked the police to make further inquiries about a number of issues relating to the case and that, when the outcome of those inquiries was known, consideration would be given to whether grounds existed for a positive response to the solicitor's submission.
A new body, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), now has responsibility for cases of alleged miscarriage of justice in Britain, including this particular case. The CCRC has power to refer cases back to the Court of Appeal without the need to obtain the approval of the Home Secretary.
The Embassy in London will continue to do what it can to advance this man's case in consultation with his solicitor and the CCRC.
