§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were transferred from (a) England and Wales to Northern Ireland and (b) Northern Ireland to England and Wales in 1985; and under which section of the Criminal Justice Act 1961 such transfers were carried out.
§ Mr. MellorAs explained in my letter of 17 March to the hon. Member, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, the reply which I gave to his question on 27 January at column 193, was, unfortunately, incorrect in one respect. The correct information is that five prisoners were transferred from England and Wales to Northern Ireland in 1985, two of them on more than one occasion. Four of these seven transfers were under section 26 of the Criminal Justice Act 1961 (permanent transfer); one was under section 27 (temporary transfer); and two were under section 29 (transfer for judicial purposes). One prisoner (not none, as stated in the previous reply) was transferred from Northern Ireland to England and Wales under section 27, his transfer having been authorised in 1984.