The Government is committed to the principle that, wherever possible, prisoners should be permitted to serve their sentences close to their families.
Transfers of prisoners, including republican prisoners, to this jurisdiction are governed by the terms of the European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, which both Britain and Ireland have ratified.
Five republican prisoners were transferred to this jurisdiction under the terms of this Convention in the period November 1996 to 1997. Four were repatriated from Britain and one from the United States of America.
Since November 1997, 17 republican prisoners have been transferred from Britain to this jurisdiction.
There are currently six convicted republican prisoners in Britain. Five of them have requested transfer to this jurisdiction, and the remaining prisoner has not yet made a transfer application.