By the time we come back in January, unless there is a change of approach by the British State, hunger strikers will again have died in British prisons. They will have been killed by an injustice system that arms, supports and funds genocide. Eight young people are currently on hunger strike in Britain. They are people who have been held without trial or bail for more than a year for protesting against British support for genocide. Qesser Zuhrah is on day 47 of her hunger strike. In 1981, Martin Hurson died after 46 days, another victim of the British injustice system. Yesterday, she was hospitalised only after significant protests by Zarah Sultana and others demanding that the prison allow in an ambulance. Their demands are extremely reasonable. They include an end to the censorship of their communications, their right to a fair trial and the granting of immediate bail. There appears to be a conspiracy of silence on this matter in the British media. I appeal to the Tánaiste to contact his British counterpart to express our concern about what is happening and to demand that basic civil liberties are upheld.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Nobody wants to see anybody on hunger strike or to see anybody get ill arising from that. I note he took the opportunity of the presence of the British ambassador in the House today to raise his concerns in relation to this. I will also relay those concerns to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.