Brian O'Shea
Ceist:73 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 134 of 22 May 2001, he will provide further assistance in this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18483/01]
Written Answers. - Diplomatic Interventions.
On 8 June an officer of the Consulate-General in Boston visited this person in the prison to which she had just been transferred. While conditions are not of the same standard as those in which she was previously serving her sentence, she accepts that the decision to transfer her was taken in her best interests and she has expressed herself content to remain where she is rather than return to where she was. Staff at the prison she is in now are helpful to her and she has been allowed to make regular reverse charge telephone calls to the Consulate-General. During the visit the prisoner informed the representative of the Consulate-General that she was experiencing a recurrence of a medical problem for which she was not receiving medication. The Consulate-General arranged for her to be seen by a doctor and she is now receiving the medication that was prescribed.
At the court hearing on 18 June she was granted a postponement until after 1 November of her sentencing for the offences of illegally entering the United States and violating parole terms. It is anticipated that by November new sentencing guidelines will have been introduced and that sentences imposed for "aggravated felony" offences then will be significantly less than they are now. The Consulate-General will continue to maintain contact with this person and to give her any assistance they can.