Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I do not want to make any comment about what happened in the trial. That was a matter of the evidence before and the judgment of the court. The individual concerned in the case received an 11-year sentence for manslaughter, as well as two concurrent five-year terms for wounding and possession of firearms. He has been under the control of the authorities in Portlaoise Prison and Castlerea Prison. I do not believe the prison authorities accept for one minute that there is an issue of a prison within a prison. The prisoners were held under the jurisdiction of the prison authorities and it is a matter for them to decide whether somebody has earned remission. It is only statutory if one has earned it and they arbitrate on it. In this case, their judgment is that each breach of prison rules is punishable by loss of remission up to a maximum of 14 days. The person concerned has been subject to a single such report and lost ten days remission. The same applies to all prisoners and this convention has been followed. It is statutory if one earns it and the prison authorities make that determination. They have made such a determination in this case and there are no plans to release anybody early. The prisoner concerned has earned remission to which the prison authorities would say he is entitled. In that case, there is no reason to detain him longer.

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