asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether arising out of his reply to a parliamentary question on 9 July 1980 he has had any discussions with the British authorities concerning the question of permitting Irish prisoners who have served an appreciable portion of their sentences to be transferred on humanitarian grounds to prisons in the North of Ireland, thus reducing the penal travelling costs for relatives visiting them.
Written Answers. - Transfer of Prisoners.
259.
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Professor Dooge)
Recent consultations with the British authorities have revealed the general position of the transfer of prisoners to Northern Ireland. This is that persons with Northern Ireland associations, who commit offences in Britain as members, or in support of organisations engaged in terrorism, should not expect to be returned to Northern Ireland to serve their sentences. However, according to the British authorities, each request for a transfer to a prison in Northern Ireland is carefully examined.