Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 23 Jan 1997

Vol. 473 No. 5

Written Answers. - Prisoner Transfers.

Pat the Cope Gallagher

Ceist:

78 Mr. Gallagher (Donegal South-West) asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether republican prisoners who are on temporary transfer from British jails to Northern Ireland jails should be granted the status of permanent transferred prisoners in order to bring these prisoners under the control of the Northern Ireland Office as opposed to the Home Office in London; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1880/97]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

The Government has consistently emphasised to the British authorities through the framework of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and through the Irish Embassy in London our support for the principle that, wherever possible, prisoners should be permitted to serve their sentences close to their families. Since July 1994, 19 republican prisoners have been transferred from Britain to Northern Ireland, ten on a permanent and nine on a temporary basis. We have welcomed these transfers and will continue to seek further transfers in the future.

As indicated in my reply to a question by Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív on 5 November 1996, we have also pressed for transfers to Northern Ireland to be permanent rather than temporary, since temporary transfers create uncertainty and impose certain difficulties for prisoners and their families which would be avoided if the transfers were permanent. On my instructions, attention was again drawn to the humanitarian difficulties which exist for temporary transfer prisoners and their families at a recent meeting held between officials of the Irish Embassy in London and officials from the British Home Office and Prison Service.

I am aware that the Deputy and some of his party colleagues recently visited a number of prisoners on temporary transfer to Northern Ireland who are currently held in Maghaberry Prison in County Antrim. I have read the delegation's report of their visit with interest and at my request, a copy has been forwarded to the Embassy in London to inform their future contacts with the British authorities on this matter.

More generally, we have stressed the importance of addressing prison issues in a positive and forward looking manner to the British authorities on numerous occasions. We have also repeatedly made clear that we stand ready to receive republican prisoners who have applied for a transfer to prison in this jurisdiction under the European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.