Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 79: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps he will take to demand that the British authorities release a person (details supplied) forthwith in line with the commitments in view of his and other participants in the talks at the time of the signing of the Weston Park Agreement in relation to on the runs. [33315/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The various measures included in the package agreed at Weston Park in August 2001 addressed four issues to assist in the successful implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: policing, normalisation, the stability of the institutions and decommissioning. Proposed draft legislation by the British Government to deal with this specific issue as referred to in paragraph 20 of the Weston Park accord was formally withdrawn by the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain MP, on 11 January 2006. The draft legislation, the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill, had been opposed by the majority of the Northern Ireland Assembly parties and the Secretary of State was compelled to withdraw the legislation when the only supporting party, Sinn Féin, could not accept certain aspects of the proposed legislation. The Government remains committed to the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

On the particular issue of securing early release for Mr. McGeough, the prisoner in question initiated legal proceedings to secure an early release and judgment on this has been passed. On 8 July 2011, Mr. McGeough was granted leave to seek a judicial review in an attempt to obtain a Royal Prerogative of Mercy. Mr. McGeough's legal team argued that because he had been previously jailed abroad, the Royal Prerogative of Mercy should be granted to ensure equal treatment with others who benefited from it. On 2 March 2012, the High Court ruled this argument untenable. Officials from my Department continue to monitor developments very closely.