§ MR. MAURICE HEALYI beg to ask the Solicitor General for Ireland what notice the Prisons Board propose to take of the conduct of the Deputy Governor of Cork Gaol, on the 16th. instant, in refusing to permit the Mayor and two other members of the Committee of Visiting Justices to receive a statement in private from the prisoner James O'Brien?
§ MR. MADDENI am informed that the Deputy Governor of Cork Prison has been informed that he misinterpreted the rule as to private interviews of members of Visiting Committees with prisoners, and has been instructed how to act in future in such cases. The Board do not consider his misconstruction of the rule was intentional, and they therefore do not propose to censure him. The Board are about to issue a Circular Memorandum to Governors on the subject.
§ MR. M. HEALYI did not allege that there was any misconstruction of the rules; what I alleged was that there was gross negligence and ignorance. I would ask the hon. and learned Gentleman whether the Deputy Governor, having been admitted to be guilty of such conduct, the Board propose to reprimand him in any way?
§ MR. MADDENI think it would be a very dangerous doctrine to lay down that a misconstruction of a document, when that misconstruction is perfectly honest, is to call for a severe censure.
§ MR. M. HEALYIs it not the fact that in the plainest terms the rule directs that the Visiting Justices are to be entitled to see a prisoner in private?
§ MR. MADDENThe rule is to that effect, but it appears that in this case the instructions were misunderstood.
§ MR. M. HEALYI beg to give notice that I will call attention to this subject on the Prisons Vote.