THE British government is coming under increasing pressure to release the republican prisoner Patrick Kelly or arrange for his transfer from Maghaberry Prison in Northern Ireland to Portlaoise.
Kelly, who is very seriously ill with cancer, is serving a 20 year prison term on conspiracy charges and would qualify for transfer to Portlaoise under new British/Irish arrangements which were put in place last November.
The Tanaiste, Mr Spring, has made representations on a number of occasions to the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, seeking Kelly's transfer to Portlaoise. The degree of interest in the matter was emphasised last week when the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, told the House of Commons that the case was under review.
A Government spokesman confirmed last night that pressure was being maintained in the Kelly case, but he said that he had no idea" if there would be a British response to those representations within the next few days.
The British authorities are understood to be concerned that the same high security regime which applies to republican prisoners in Britain should also obtain for any prisoners transferred to the Republic. They also disapproved of the early release policy adopted by the Government towards republican prisoners during the IRA ceasefire.
The ending of the IRA ceasefire and the bombings in London have made it extremely difficult, in political terms, for the British government to respond in a generous fashion to the recent representations. But the special circumstances of the Kelly case have been emphasised by the Government, which has also pointed out the benefits such a gesture might have for the faltering peace process.
The former Taoiseach Mr Albert Reynolds, called for Kelly's release in a speech yesterday at an Old IRA commemoration in Crossbarry, Co Cork, in which he said that the prisoner had only weeks to live.
Official gestures, such as the release of Kelly, were now necessary to get the peace process back on track and to persuade the IRA leadership that the British were in earnest about it, Mr Reynolds said. He said that he had sent a message to Mr Major last week seeking Kelly's release on humanitarian grounds because his death in prison "would only create another republican martyr".
The treatment being accorded to Kelly by the British government was condemned by Mr Gerry Adams at the Sinn Fein Ardfheis.