Baroness Nuala O'Loan:

My view, which is informed by my experience, is that it was a very lonely and difficult place because the ultimate power of decision making resided in one person and decisions had to be absolutely evidence based. I did not find this a disadvantage, however. On the contrary, it was clearly an advantage to me because one of the problems with people wanting to complain about anything, whether it is their shampoo or policing service, is that they do not know how to do so or where to go to do so. That people could identify an individual as the policing ombudsman made for much better accessibility in respect of the office. From that perspective, the one-person model was beneficial.

I also took the decision to be out and about in the community. I took a policy decision that I would always allow anyone who wanted to come into the office to do so at any time. If I was free, I would speak to people, although that is difficult when one is trying to run a busy diary. This was, however, an issue of accessibility.

Different people will make different policy decisions. The three or five person model has advantages in that the burden is shared and one has a deputy if one falls ill. These are advantages. It is a matter for the Legislature to make up its own mind on the issue, as there is not necessarily a right way of approaching it. The people of Northern Ireland were served well by having one ombudsman. Further, ombudsmen are usually single individuals rather than commissions.