Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 688: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Irish citizens abroad to whom his Department has forwarded moneys to allow them to pay court imposed bonds since 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1199/06]

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 689: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Irish citizens abroad for whom his Department has paid court imposed bonds since 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1253/06]

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 692: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the decision to advance the funds necessary to facilitate the payment of a bond, as detailed in Parliamentary Question No. 3 of 19 May 2004 was discussed by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1357/06]

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 694: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the decision was made to advance the funds necessary to facilitate the payment of a bond as detailed in Parliamentary Question No. 3 of 19 May 2004; that the persons affected by this bond were participating in the exchange of know-how in terrorism and explosives for massive amounts of cash apparently to be spent on distorting democratic processes here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1448/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 688, 689, 692 and 694 together.

Consular assistance is provided by my Department in a wide variety of circumstances and cases, which require different responses. In certain cases, the Department of Foreign Affairs is prepared to advance funds, based on an assurance of prompt repayment, to assist Irish citizens where this is judged to be urgent and necessary, and where individuals concerned cannot gain immediate access to such funds. All consular cases are necessarily assessed on a case-by-case basis, having regard to all the factors involved in each individual case.

In the one exceptional consular case referred to by the Deputy, the court judgment permitted the three people to be released from prison under "conditional freedom", on payment of a bond. My Department, at the request of the defence team, and given its particular and ongoing consular concerns about the safety of the three people, advanced the funds to facilitate the payment of this bond, on the basis of a firm undertaking to repay the sum involved. The funds advanced were repaid in full. This decision was taken by the Department in pursuit of its consular responsibilities, and on how best to respond to the specific circumstance in question, and was neither discussed nor taken at political level.

The Deputy can be assured that my Department will continue to offer appropriate and sympathetic consular assistance to all Irish citizens abroad, including assessing each individual case on its merits.