asked the Minister for Justice the rules relative to parole in prisons and whether he is satisfied with the system as it operates at present.

There are no rigid rules governing the matter of temporary release of persons in custody and I believe that this is as it should be, as an important consideration is the assessment of the individual offender by those in the various services who come in contact with him while he is serving his sentence. Other considerations that call for an individual, flexible, approach include such matters as his domestic circumstances and the availability of a job for him.

Who makes the decision in this regard? Is there any general rule? I have often heard that people with good conduct may have one third of their sentence remitted.

I am afraid the buck stops here. I make the decision on the recommendations of those who are naturally associated with my Department, the Prison Service. These people are in a position to make an assessment of a particular individual.