Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy just said that if they do not do it, we should threaten sanctions. We need to be realistic about what we can do here. That does not mean we should not ask the hard questions. In fact, we are asking them. My understanding is that the request by a British parliamentary delegation to visit the prisons concerned has not been granted. If access is not granted to a UK delegation, it is unlikely it will be granted to an Irish one.

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