asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the persons who have been released under the Royal Prerogative from prisons in Northern Ireland in each year from 1980 to the latest available date, and indicate the offences for which they were convicted, the periods to which they were sentenced and the normal release date with full remission in each case.

The information requested is not readily available in the form requested and it is not our practice to give details of releases under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy. However, the numbers of persons released under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy from Northern Ireland prisons each year since 1980 are: