THE British government has come under renewed pressure to transfer a seriously ill IRA prisoner from the North to the Republic.
The European Parliament passed an urgent motion yesterday calling on the British authorities to give "sympathetic, consideration" to the transfer of Patrick Kelly (44), who is seriously ill with skin cancer, to Portlaoise.
And in Belfast the SDLP MP, Dr Joe Hendron, said he was seeking a meeting with the Home Secretary to demand Kelly's transfer from Maghaberry Prison to Portlaoise, where he could be near his partner and child, who live in Ballybrittas, Co Laois. Dr Hendron - who has examined Mr Kelly and briefed Amnesty International - hopes to raise the case with Mr Michael Howard.
Kelly was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for conspiracy to cause explosions and attempted murder in London in 1992.
Emphasis on the humanitarian issue secured cross party support for the wording. British Tory MEPs affiliated to the European People's Party - one of six groupings sponsoring the motion - were unavailable for comment.
The Fine Gael MEP, Ms Mary Banotti, said the Home Secretary's officials were aware of the widespread belief in Ireland that sympathetic consideration was paramount in the context of efforts to restore peace.
Prison issues were of key importance in the broader of the peace process, but this specific case was a matter of concern on medical grounds, she said. The Kelly transfer application was now at a "delicate stage".
The Fianna Fail MEP, Liam Hyland, urged the British authorities to accede to the requests in "a spirit of compassion and humanitarianism". A transfer would send a positive and compassionate message.
Speaking for the Socialist Group, the Labour MEP, Ms Bernie Malone, said no logical or legal impediment prevented the transfer. A petition supporting it had been signed by 85 per cent the members of the Oireachtas.
Britain's decision so far to ignore repeated calls for the transfer did not augur well for restoration"of the peace process, the Green MEP, Ms Patricia McKenna, said. She contrasted the treatment meted out to Kelly with that of Private Lee Clegg.