Mr. Justice Alan Mahon:

I do not particularly want to say an awful lot more. I am grateful to the committee for its time. Obviously, the various questions that have been asked are very useful in the sense that it provides an opportunity for everybody to consider how things might be improved.

I would be anxious to impress on the members that the very important issue of my independence has been fully respected by the Department and by the Defence Forces. That is the backbone of any Ombuds institution.

I am hopeful that there will be some changes to the legislation which would perhaps allow me to deal more comprehensively with particularly interpersonal issues, particularly in the light of what we know from the "Women of Honour" programme. Obviously, it would be useful to have a means of investigating issues of the nature that these individuals have brought to our attention. My hope would be that there would be amendments to the legislation in the not-too-distant future.