§ Mr. MallonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the policy of the Prison Service in relation to applications for prison transfers to prisons in the country of origin of the applicant; [16234]
599W(2) if he will approve outstanding prison transfer applications for Irish prisoners wishing to return to prisons in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the Republic of Ireland; [16235]
(3) how many applications for prison transfers from prisons in Scotland to (a) Northern Ireland, (b) the Republic of Ireland and (c) elsewhere, are currently under consideration; and in each category how many applications have been (i) approved and (ii) denied in each of the past 10 years. [16236]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 February 1996]: The subject of the question relates to matters undertaken by the Scottish Prison Service. I have asked its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell, to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. Seamus Mallon, dated 28 February 1996:
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your 3 questions about the transfer of prisoners.
There is statutory provision for the transfer of prisoners from one United Kingdom jurisdiction to another in certain circumstances, should the individual prisoner request it. The factors taken into account include the prisoner's domestic circumstances, place of domicile prior to conviction and length of sentence left to serve. Both jurisdictions must agree to the transfer. Revised criteria for inter-United Kingdom transfers were announced in the Official Report dated 23 November 1992, Columns 476–477. For prisoners seeking repatriation, applications are considered under the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners.
The information on the number of prisoners who applied for transfer to Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the past 10 years is as follows:
Northern Ireland Elsewhere Agreed Refused Agreed Refused 1985 2 2 not available not available 1986 1 — not available not available 1987 1 3 not available not available 1988 2 1 51 not available 1989 — 1 56 not available 1990 2 2 44 not available 1991 1 1 27 not available 1992 3 2 62 50 1993 5 — 51 73 1994 — 1 47 22 1995 2 1 31 16 At 23 February there were 2 outstanding applications for Northern Ireland, none for the Republic of Ireland and 29 for elsewhere. They will be determined on their individual merits.