Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I apologise for having to leave but I had to go to the Dáil Chamber. I thank Senator Leyden, our Vice Chairman, for taking over. It is like the MEPs coming here earlier today. In respect of any time Ms O'Reilly takes time out of her busy schedule to come before the committee to hear the concerns members have and get a feeling for what is happening on the ground and the issues of concern we face on a daily basis as politicians, I know she is very much in tune with what is happening here all the time politically, nationally and internationally. She is really on top of her game, which is very important because we are the voice from the ground up.

Many of the issues that reach the ombudsman's desk have come to us through our constituencies and work already. I gave five years here, on the Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions. Many of those cases, over the years, had been to the ombudsman. It is important that we work together because, at the end of the day, it is like the matter of the Versatis patches over the last weeks. The agony that people are going through is a matter that I raised in the Dáil today during Leaders' Questions because issues like that affect people. At the end of the day, with the ombudsman in her role and us in our role, we help people, organisations, groups and individuals. Some people look down their noses at politicians when they see and hear them talking about and raising individual cases. There is nothing wrong with that and no need to be ashamed about dealing with an individual and his or her problem if one is elected or is in the role of someone such as Ms Emily O'Reilly. That is what we are supposed to do. We are advocates. We are there to speak for people who cannot speak for themselves. One thing I get great satisfaction from, which I presume the ombudsman would be interested in hearing, is that late on a Monday night, I can be in a quiet country pub, meeting people, or in a cold community centre, talking to people about a particular issue. The following day, I can stand up in the Dáil and face a Minister who might have direct responsibility for that issue, or the Taoiseach, say that I met an individual somewhere last night and raise that person's problem. That is what democracy is about. Sometimes, journalists in particular have a hang-up about that. They call it clientelism, parochial or parish-pump politics. We have to listen to all this nonsense but, in the end, that is what we are supposed to do. We are national politicians who are elected locally. We have to start somewhere and that is where we start. I look forward, for as long as we are there, to working with the ombudsman and her office. We all seek to do our best for people.

I thank the ombudsman. I will be looking back on the proceedings because I will be able to read the questions that were asked. I thank Senator Terry Leyden and all members for their contributions. Does Senator Dolan want to come back in? We are wrapping up, so he can speak now.