Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am aware that the Deputy has concerns about this matter. I will refer to previous questions on the record of the House in this regard. The current system of accommodating republican and loyalist prisoners in Northern Ireland separately from each other and from the rest of the prison population was established in Maghaberry Prison in 2003. Decisions on who can be admitted to the separated regime are made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. This did not change with the devolution of policing and justice powers to Northern Ireland in 2010, since access to the separated regime is deemed to be a matter of national security and hence a reserved power.

I wish to confirm again to the Deputy that the Government has on a number of occasions raised humanitarian issues in certain prisoner cases directly with the Northern Ireland Office and with the Prisoner Ombudsman and will continue to do so, as appropriate.

On 15 January, I met one of the independent assessors who concluded the recent stocktake report on the 2010 agreement. That report states that not all the principles of the August 2010 agreement have been adhered to nor have all undertakings been acted on. The stocktake report provides a six-month timeline for implementing its recommendations and thereby resolving the outstanding issues. It is my view that the report, if properly implemented, offers an opportunity to create a conflict-free environment in the prison. The Northern Ireland Minister for Justice, David Ford, has accepted the stocktake report. The report also recommends that the Northern Ireland Office should clarify eligibility criteria for access to Roe House for separated paramilitary prisoners. There should also be an independent assessment of the rationale for the isolation of prisoners and an appropriate appeal process.

Following up on these recommendations is also currently part of a regular dialogue between my officials and their Northern Ireland Office counterparts. At my request, my officials have raised these issues and have been informed by the Northern Ireland Office that it is still considering its response to these recommendations. My officials have reminded the British side of our continuing interest in the humanitarian welfare of those prisoners in the separated regime.

See this speech in context