Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 102: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government considers that the regime pertaining at the United States prison at Guantanamo Bay is such that persons held there are likely to be subject to acts contrary to international law. [39270/05]

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in view of his response to Question No. 86 of 10 November 2005, that [i]inter alia[/i] the Government has, on a number of occasions, made known to the US Government its concerns regarding the treatment and status of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, the precise nature of the concerns which he expressed, and the response from US authorities which these elicited. [39291/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 113 together.

The Government has made known to the US Government its view that detainees held at Guantanamo Bay should be treated in accordance with the requirements of human rights and international humanitarian law. Our concerns are shared by our EU partners. They have been made known on a number of occasions by the Taoiseach, by my predecessor and by myself, and also through the Embassy of Ireland in Washington and with the US Embassy in Dublin. On all occasions, we have made clear that there is very real concern throughout Europe, including Ireland, about the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, and emphasised that it was essential that alleged abuses were fully investigated.

It is my understanding that the International Committee of the Red Cross has been regularly visiting the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay since early 2002 for the purpose of monitoring that persons held there are treated in accordance with applicable international laws and standards.