McDowell accused of censoring prisons inspector

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell was yesterday accused of “censoring” the Inspector of Prisons under new plans.

The Prison Rules published on Wednesday state that the minister can cut parts of any report by the inspector if their publication would be “against the public interest.”

The provision is contained in a section of the draft prison rules which establish the Inspector of Prisons on a statutory basis - something the current inspector Mr Justice Dermot Kinlen has been requesting for years.