Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will just make a comment regarding whether we have a commission or a commissioner. One of the issues regarding a role such as this is that decisions very much impinge on a person's character. As a doctor, I find I have greater confidence in a medical council type set-up, which is a group of individuals passing judgment rather than an individual. In my experience of the Medical Council, it has provided more balanced judgments for both the lay and medical people involved. I would prefer a commission rather than a commissioner in situations like these. I know ombudsmen make decisions on financial matters and other issues and that people can refer those decisions to the courts, but there can be significant delay in getting the issue to the courts.