asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Irish people in British prisons; the number who have indicated a desire to return to prisons in Northern Ireland; and the steps which have been taken to have them returned.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Transfer of Prisoners to Northern Ireland.
13.
As of November 1985, there was a total of 966 people from both parts of Ireland in prison in Britain. My Department have been in correspondence with a small number of prisoners who have expressed a wish to be transferred to a prison in Northern Ireland and where I am satisfied that there are genuine humanitarian reasons for such a transfer I have the matter raised with the British authorities.
Can the Minister tell the House the number of prisoners who have expressed a desire for transfer and the number who have actually been transferred during the past few years?
I think only five or six have been transferred. The latest transfer involved a person from the Deputy's county and a previous transfer took place some years before. There were four or five transfers in the mid-seventies. My Department were particularly involved in the transfer of five prisoners, the last of whom was moved to Northern Ireland last September. I do not know precisely how many are looking for transfers at present but it would be a very small number.
Would the Minister accept that the main reason for desiring a transfer to a prison in Northern Ireland is to facilitate visits by friends and relatives? It is practically impossible to visit people imprisoned in England, especially when they are moved from prison to prison. The authorities do not seem in all cases to advise these people. The Minister is aware that on numerous occasions visitors have arrived at a prison only to find that the prisoner had been transferred some days earlier. I can appreciate that there must be security precautions on that day but on the following day the Department of Foreign Affairs or the prisoner's family should be immediately advised. Would the Minister pursue this point and comment upon it?
The Deputy is correct in identifying the fact that for security reasons there is no indication given to relatives or the Embassy when a prisoner is to be moved from one prison to another. These security considerations apply also in the case of the movement of a prisoner from Britain to Northern Ireland. I very much appreciate the problems of people going to a prison in England and finding that a relative had been moved a short time previously. Without interfering with the legitimate concerns of the authorities, I will see what can be done to stop wasted journeys by relatives.