Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will make one final comment. I am conscious of time and I do not want to hold up the meeting. I thank the witnesses for their engagement, which has been very positive. In her presentation to us today, Ms McGovern spoke about how almost one quarter, that is, 22%, of the complaints made to her office were about poor customer service. I say to the ombudsman, Chairman and members that this is something on which I am actually very strong. Does the ombudsman have any role, and again, this is a bit like the last question I asked, in terms of making a requirement on the banks? Is it a Central Bank of Ireland requirement to engage with and be conscious of the needs of customers in the case of service but also in the mundane nature of simple information?

I will finish on this. The whole context of travel insurance is fraught with hardship for people. Ms McGovern made a comment that in the context of travel insurance, ensuring the appropriate cover should be straightforward and do what it says in the print, and that we should not have to go through the small print where people can, if you like, be tripped up. As Ms McGovern will know, many people come to us and to the ombudsman about insurance policies when they do not have the cover they think they have. Has she any advice on what the ombudsman can do in terms of working with providers of travel insurance, but also with the banks, in terms of customer service? I will conclude on that point. Again, I thank the witnesses for their courtesy and their presentation today.