Written answers

Thursday, 17 February 2005

Department of Foreign Affairs

Irish Prisoners Abroad

5:00 pm

Photo of Ciarán CuffeCiarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the breakdown by country and by crime of Irish citizens currently imprisoned outside the State. [5464/05]

Photo of Dermot AhernDermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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It is the right of every Irish citizen who is arrested or imprisoned abroad, under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, to seek consular assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs. However, not all Irish citizens who are so arrested or imprisoned avail of this right. In addition, the number of Irish prisoners abroad is constantly changing as some are released and others newly detained. For these reasons, it is not really possible to be fully precise about how many Irish citizens are imprisoned abroad, or to give a completely comprehensive breakdown by crime and country. However, the following table gives an overall picture.

Some Irish prisoners abroad, who do not seek consular assistance from my Department, choose instead to avail of the counselling and welfare services provided by the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas, ICPO. As a result, the ICPO also has detailed information on the number and location of Irish prisoners abroad and this is reflected in the table set out below. However, like the Department, it would not claim to have a completely accurate picture for the reasons given above. I should add that the Department provides financial assistance to the ICPO to support its valuable work on behalf of Irish prisoners abroad and their families.

The crimes for which Irish people abroad are in prison are very varied and range from minor to serious crimes such as drug offences and murder.

(Best) Estimate of Irish Prisoners Abroad.
Number Location
1 Arabian Gulf
1 Argentina
3 Australia
1 Bolivia
2 Brazil
1 Canada
2 Canary Islands
1 Cuba
1 Ecuador
708 Great Britain
1 France
3 Germany
3 Holland
1 Isle of Man
1 Japan
1 Panama
2 Peru
3 Spain
1 Thailand
28 United States
Total: 765

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