Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 388: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his contacts with Irish prisoners abroad; the services available to families in that regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32664/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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When Irish citizens are sentenced to terms in prison abroad they are entitled under the Vienna convention on consular relations to seek consular assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs, through the relevant Irish diplomatic mission. The mission will seek to ensure that prisoners are treated in a non-discriminatory manner; that their living conditions are as humane as possible; that they are legally represented; and that they can communicate with family, their legal representative, and the mission in question.

The Department tries to facilitate every request from an Irish prisoner for a consular visit and many prisoners are visited on more than one occasion. The Department's efforts on behalf of Irish prisoners are supplemented and complemented by the activities of the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas. To demonstrate the official recognition of the importance of their work in this regard, I increased the total grant to the commission from €162,000 in 2004 to €213,444 this year.

The Government has also agreed to carry out a research project to identify the number of Irish prisoners abroad and their needs for services. The terms of reference for this study have recently been agreed, and the study will be carried out by Mr. Chris Flood, the former Minister of State. The main focus of the study will be to establish the numbers of Irish prisoners abroad, the countries in which they are held, the offences for which they have been charged or convicted and the duration of sentences. It is also intended that it will review the services provided to Irish prisoners by the Government and by other social agencies and, inter alia, make recommendation on how these services might be improved. I look forward to the completion of this important report.