Stalling on prisoners a scandal

Dr Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland

The delays in repatriating Irish prisoners from Britain to serve their terms closer to their families are "entirely unsatisfactory" says Dr Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland.

The Archbishop said it can take three times as long for Irish prisoners to be repatriated as it does for British prisoners to be transferred from elsewhere.

"According to records, it takes between two-and-a-half to three years to process a straightforward UK-to-Republic of Ireland application," says Archbishop Brady, "This is entirely unsatisfactory. We are dealing with two legal jurisdictions which share a common language.

"This timescale compares unfavourably with that for British nationals, where the process from all countries - including non-English speaking countries — takes between nine to 12 months to complete.

"It is little short of a scandal that Irish families should find themselves in this situation."

The Archbishop added that the Irish Bishops Commission for Prisoners Overseas had long been concerned about the inordinate delay in the processing of applications, and called for the establishment of "an agency for the Irish abroad" to ensure that emigrants in prison do not suffer unnecessarily.

"It is obvious that if society maintains the link between a prisoner and his or her family's support and influence, then it greatly reduces the risk of reoffence and also reduces the likelihood of homlessness and further crime," he said.

Prisoners serving abroad are entitled to apply for repatriation under the European Convention on the Treaty of Sectenced Persons Act.

The Archbishop made his remarks in a speech at the Irish Association social club's annual dinner in Manchester on Saturday last. Responding to his comments, a spokesperson for the Home Office claimed that applications for repatriation were assessed on their "individual merits".

"A foreign national prisoner can apply for repatriation," said the spokesperson. "However, it is not an automatic right and certain conditions must be met.

"We attempt to repatriate prisoners as soon as is reasonably possible."