CALLS for the transfer of a republican prisoner, Patrick Kelly, from Maghaberry Prison to a prison in the Republic received surprise support from a British Conservative MP, Mr Barry Porter.
Mr Porter made his comments during a debate on security issues.
Referring to Kelly, who is suffering from cancer, he said "In the circumstances he's dying, we know that, we don't know how long he's got to go I would have thought that it would be a proper use of humanitarian considerations for Mr Kelly to be transferred.
"I know why that's resisted. It would be seen by some, certainly on the republican side, as some sort of weakness by the British government, another bit of giving way, and there might be some in the unionist community who would also see it as a weakness. I wouldn't see it like that at all, I'd see it as a strength."
Mr John O'Donoghue (Fianna Fail) said the Kelly case should be highlighted and "there has to be a change of attitude".
On policing, the BIIPB was told by Dr Rory O'Hanlon (FF) that the basic issue was the need for a force which was representative of the community and with which both traditions could identify.
Dr O'Hanlon, who is chairman of the BIIPB's political and security committee, said "92 per cent of the force is Protestant, in a community in which at the most recent province wide, European Parliament elections 40 per cent of the voters supported nationalist parties which withhold their full unqualified support from the police force.
"All members of the committee were impressed by the professionalism of the RUC and were deeply conscious of the price paid by police officers and their families during the 25 years of violence. We were impressed by the efforts of the force to reach out more to the entire community particularly following the ceasefires," he said.
Dr O'Hanlon said he considered that "the RUC were themselves much more willing to contemplate change than others we spoke with".
Mr Jerry Hayes (Conservative) expressed concern at suggestions of changes in the police officer's oath and the removal of the Union Hag from RUC stations. "Surely this is going to be a reg rag to the unionist community. To whom would the oath be sworn? What flag, if any, would be flown on police stations?"
Mr Des O'Malley (Progressive Democrats) said Mr Hayes seemed to think it was impossible that these changes should be contemplated. "It is impossible that we would not contemplate them. You have to remember that there is an unusual degree of unacceptability of the RUC." The flying of flags at police stations "didn't matter tuppence".
He invited Mr Hayes to go down the road to Adare Garda station "There's no flag, there never is a flag. I think they were probably told to put it up on St Patrick's Day or something, because every public building is supposed to. Sure, they don't give tuppence about a flag."