Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 30 Jan 2001

Vol. 529 No. 1

Written Answers. - Irish Prisoners Abroad.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

224 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his Department's estimate of the number of persons convicted and serving sentences overseas who are Irish citizens; the number of these serving sentences in non-OECD countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1014/01]

Trevor Sargent

Question:

225 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his Department's estimate of the number of persons convicted and serving sentences overseas who are Irish citizens and serving sentences in jurisdictions where there is no direct diplomatic representation. [1015/01]

Trevor Sargent

Question:

226 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his Department's estimate of the number of persons convicted and serving sentences overseas who are Irish citizens and dependent on social welfare support for financial assistance towards the cost of toiletries and personal hygiene prerequisites from the generosity of national authorities other than the Government of Ireland. [1016/01]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen)

I propose to answer Questions Nos. 224, 225 and 226 together.

About 880 Irish citizens have been convicted and are serving sentences abroad; five of them are in non-OECD countries where Ireland has no direct diplomatic representation; two of those five also have British citizenship and one of them has opted for the consular protection of the British authorities, the UK having a bilateral prisoner transfer agreement with the country where he is imprisoned.

I understand these five Irish prisoners have to pay for toiletries and-or personal hygiene prerequisites and that they do so with funds provided by relatives or friends or by a voluntary organisation such as one in Britain which is financially supported by the UK Government. At the moment no source of funds is available to my Department from which to assist Irish prisoners abroad in that way. I have asked that the possibility of assisting Irish prisoners in non-OECD countries to purchase toiletries and to pay for basic medical and dental treatment be examined by my Department in consultation with other Departments and voluntary organisations.

Question No. 227 answered with Question No. 223.