Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 October 2016
317. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views regarding the ongoing incarceration of a person (details supplied) in Maghaberry Prison on revocation of licence with no clear reason provided by the authorities; and his views on whether this is a breach of international law. [28312/16]
View answerI am aware of the case to which the Deputy refers and my officials in the Belfast Secretariat monitor this and other cases as part of their ongoing work on prison issues generally in Northern Ireland.
The person concerned was detained in March 2016 when the release licence granted to him under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement was revoked by the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers. The case has been raised with the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) by my officials. It also has also been the subject of representations to the NIO by various public representatives in Northern Ireland.
I am informed that as part of the revocation process, the independent Northern Ireland Parole Commissioners carry out a full review of the case. The Parole Commissioners are charged with taking into account the obligations on the State of the European Convention on Human Rights in making their recommendation. This includes assessing the risk to the public should the person remain at liberty. Those whose licence is revoked under this process are provided with a copy of the independent Parole Commissioners recommendation, which sets out the reasons the licence was revoked.
