THE British Home secretary, Mr Michael Howard, has been reassured that the European Parliament will not be sending an official delegation to visit Ms Roisin McAliskey at Holloway Prison.
Last month the parliament's civil liberties committee decided to send a delegation to the prison to visit Ms McAliskey, who is being held in connection with the Osnabruck bombing in Germany.
In a letter to Mr Howard dated March 7th, the president of the parliament, Mr Jose Maria Gil Robles, said he wanted to "confirm that the European Parliament will not be sending any such delegation" and that any efforts by MEPs to visit "should be considered as having been taken on a solely personal basis".
Some Irish MEPs believe the British government helped to scupper the plan for a formal visit, although no evidence of direct representations has emerged.
In the European parliament yesterday, Mr Niall Andrews MEP challenged Mr Robles to explain the letter to Mr Howard.
"On a humanitarian basis, I want to ask you why you wrote this letter," he said. "On what authority? Under what rule or regulation did you write the letter?"
Mr Gil Robles replied that the proper procedures had not been followed.