Prospective
Powers of OmbudsmanN.I.
43—(1) For the purposes of an investigation under this Part the Ombudsman may at any time enter—
(a)any prison;
(b)any other premises occupied by the Department for the purposes of its functions under the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953.
(2) The Ombudsman may at any time enter any juvenile justice centre for the purposes of an investigation under section 39.
(3) The Ombudsman may, for the purposes of an investigation under this Part, require—
(a)that documents be produced in a form in which they can be taken away or be made available for inspection and copying,
(b)that an explanation be given of any document produced or made available, or
(c)that other information be provided.
(4) A person who intentionally obstructs the Ombudsman in the carrying out of an investigation under this Part commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(5) In this section—
(a)“document” includes anything in which information is stored in electronic or any other form; and,
(b)in relation to anything containing information in electronic form, references to production or making available are to production or making available in a form in which the information is readily intelligible.