McDowell scorned for offering to interpret figures

Michael McDowell has been accused of acting like a minister of information after he issued a letter to TDs accusing Fine Gael deputy Richard Bruton of using "extremely misleading" statistics.

In the letter, the Minister for Justice said Garda figures used by Mr Bruton suggesting only two extra gardaí were assigned to Dublin in one year were taken out of context.

He claimed Mr Bruton's statistics failed to take account of 50 gardaí transferred to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations.

Mr McDowell's letter advised Oireachtas members that he was available for background briefings and how statistics should be interpreted.

But Labour leader Pat Rabbitte today asked if Mr McDowell "now wanted to vet all future press statements from Opposition TDs".

Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Rabbitte asked if the Central Statistics Office will have to report to the Minister for Justice on the Census figures.

"Can we rely on any statistics that don't have the endorsement of the Minister for Justice?" he quipped.

"This is a novel breakthrough in governance. It will save a lot of money for Opposition politicians that we can get our press statements done by the Minister for Justice. He'll correct the information and put it out," Mr Rabbitte said.

Addressing the Minister for Health Mary Harney, the Labour leader said: "None of us can get an answer now on the health service, on anything no matter how urgent.

"Will the Tánaiste consider contracting that to the Minister for Justice as well and we can go directly to Mr McDowell's offices on St Stephen's Green, push a button and get the information," he asked.

Mr McDowell's letter appears to have reignited the row over Garda numbers.

Mr Bruton told the Dáil that the Taoiseach had misrepresented him when Mr Ahern said that the TD knew that gardai had been transferred from Dublin, when he calculated figures on garda numbers.

Mr Bruton said he had not known of the transfers.