I apologise on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, who is attending a series of meetings today, including the National Forum on Europe which commences shortly.
I am delighted to be afforded the opportunity to speak to the Sub-Committee on Human Rights of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs on the issue of Irish prisoners abroad. As committee members are aware, successive Governments have placed the welfare of citizens imprisoned overseas high on the priority list. It is fair to say that, as a country, we have a good record in this regard.
The Government has devoted considerable resources to supporting the Irish diaspora. We established the Irish abroad unit within the Department of Foreign Affairs. Government expenditure on emigrants has increased from a figure of €5.062 million in 2004 to €8.273 million in 2005, an increase of 63%. This is also true in the case of prisoners overseas.
We increased the level of support for the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas, ICPO, from €162,000 in 2004 to €213,444 in 2005. In this regard, I pay tribute to the activities of the ICPO and its chairman, Bishop Séamus Hegarty of Derry, and its co-ordinator, Fr. Alan Hilliard. I warmly welcome Fr. Hilliard, Fr. Gerry McFlynn, Ms Gráinne Prior and their colleagues from the ICPO. Both the Maynooth and London offices are represented. We thank them for their presence and the outstanding work they do on behalf of our fellow citizens in various parts of the world. The ICPO has undertaken tremendous work which is reflected in the extremely large increase in funding for their work which has been provided by the Government.
The Department of Foreign Affairs understands the number of Irish prisoners abroad amounts to more than 1,000. The number constantly changes as some are released and others are newly detained. For these reasons, it is not possible to be fully precise on how many Irish citizens are imprisoned abroad.
Little detailed information is available on the profile of Irish prisoners abroad. The crimes for which they are in prison are varied and range from minor to serious such as drug offences and murder. Some are vulnerable persons who emigrate in an attempt to escape their problems, but they find that they cannot cope with life abroad and end up in prison. Others who may not be classified as vulnerable are imprisoned after being charged with, or convicted of, crimes committed while on holiday or temporarily resident in foreign countries. Others have engaged in more serious crimes.
Under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, it is the right of every Irish citizen who is arrested or imprisoned abroad to seek consular assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs. However, not all Irish citizens who are arrested or imprisoned avail of this right. On my behalf and that of my colleagues at ministerial and parliamentary level, I sincerely thank all of our consular staff throughout the world, with our ambassadors and diplomatic staff, for the outstanding work they do 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on behalf of all of our citizens, imprisoned or otherwise.
In the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness the Government agreed to carry out a research project to identify the number of Irish prisoners abroad and their need for services in prison. It held off commissioning a study pending receipt of the report of the task force on policy regarding emigrants which noted that in some cases Irish prisoners may have special needs that do not arise in the case of other emigrants. I understand that, following discussions with the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas, it was agreed that the focus of the study should be on Irish prisoners in Britain, given that is where the vast majority of Irish prisoners are located. The draft terms of reference for the study have been drawn up and I am pleased to inform the committee that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has appointed Mr. Chris Flood, a former Minister of State, to undertake the study on our behalf.
The main focus of the study will be to establish the numbers of Irish prisoners abroad, the countries in which they are held, the offences for which they have been charged or convicted, and the duration of sentences. It will indicate the number of prisoners held in countries which are not party to the Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. It is intended that it will identify the special needs of Irish prisoners in Britain, with particular reference to general health issues, social issues, specific problems of marginalised groups such as psychiatric patients, those serving life sentences and Travellers. It will offer advice on whether they have specific problems, compared to other nationalities in British prisons. It is also intended that it will review the services provided for Irish prisoners by the Government and other social agencies, and make recommendations on how these services might be improved, taking into account the level of services provided by other EU countries for their nationals imprisoned overseas. It is envisaged that the study should present a brief overview of current global trends on prison standards, the protection of human rights of prisoners and identify international agreements which have a bearing on the treatment of prisoners. The needs of the families of overseas prisoners will also be considered.
I look forward to completion of the study and I am sure members of the committee will join me in recognising that it represents a significant step in advancing the needs of prisoners abroad. I reiterate our deep commitment to the welfare of prisoners overseas. In doing so it is important to have full regard to the feelings and experiences of victims of crime. Their sensitivities must also be factored in in any future arrangements to ensure all our efforts and decisions are always motivated by balance, equity and fairness.