Prisoners Transfers

Justice written question – answered at on 7 January 2008.

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Photo of Sylvia Hermon Sylvia Hermon UUP, North Down

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2007, Official Report, columns 1259-60W, for what offences the 11 prisoners transferred to prisons in England and Wales from prisons in Northern Ireland since 2000 were serving sentences; and what the grounds for transfer were.

Photo of David Hanson David Hanson The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

The transfer of prisoners between UK jurisdictions is governed by schedule 1 to the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. Each application is assessed on its individual merits, taking into consideration:

(i) the purpose for which the transfer is requested;

(ii) whether the prisoner was ordinarily resident in the jurisdiction to which transfer is sought prior to the imposition of the current sentence; or whether members of the prisoner's close family are resident in that jurisdiction and there are reasonable grounds for believing that the prisoner will receive regular visits from them; or whether the prisoner has demonstrated through preparations that he has made for his life following release from prison that he intends to reside in the receiving jurisdiction upon release and he is in the later stages of his sentence;

(iii) whether there are grounds for believing that the prisoner may disrupt or attempt to disrupt any prison establishment, or pose an unacceptable risk to security; and

(iv) any compelling or compassionate circumstances.

The application of each prisoner transferred from Northern Ireland since 2000 met one of the conditions for transfer set out.

Information on the offences committed by each of the prisoners is not centrally held. I will write to the hon. Member once the information is available.

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