Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is not agreed. While I do not propose to call a vote on this, I want to say to the Taoiseach that the Ombudsman has turned out to be a very important position in modern society, raising many issues with regard to the interaction between the citizen and the State, particularly in terms of health, welfare and so forth, and, likewise, the position of the Information Commissioner is very important. From the perspective of Dáil Éireann and of proper deliberation on the role of the offices of the Ombudsman and the Information Commissioner, to have 20 minutes of discussion is very unsatisfactory and does not speak well for the Dáil in terms of treating these offices seriously and with the consideration they deserve. These offices go to the heart of how our system of Government works in regard to the rights of the citizen. Very often, they can be critical of the Government, irrespective of who is in power, and of the arms of Government, including Departments and Government agencies, and how they interact with citizens. The proposal that Opposition spokespersons have five minutes to discuss all of that should have been reflected on further. We could do with far more time to discuss these two very important offices, given that the appointment of the Ombudsman and the Information Commissioner are opportunities for the House to debate the role and work of those offices.

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