Ms Doireann Ansbro:

From our perspective, obviously, one can separate performance issues like turning up on time from a human rights violation. Certainly, it is the latter that should be investigated by the ombudsman. We consider it very important to ensure that what is covered by the ombudsman includes any allegations of ill treatment, for example, of an individual, where it reaches a threshold of not just serious harm which, essentially, is what the 2005 Act mandates an investigation into currently, but even an excessive use of force which may not end up causing serious harm, because it is still a disproportionate use of force. For us, it should very much be rooted in everything from what one might call the lower threshold of human rights violation to serious criminality. When one is talking about performance issues regarding turning up on time, that is not something that we think should be in the remit of an ombudsman. I would be interested to hear from others on the point.