Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The key point is the effectiveness of the office and the work it does, not necessarily its title. I have heard a lot of floating of the regulator idea, including a meat regulator. However, when one probes further, there is very little detail as to what is meant by that and the substance of what is being suggested. The key point is that we have an office that brings transparency and fairness to the supply chain, that works well and is effective. That is the key objective here. We have already done a public consultation and I will certainly reflect on any ideas, suggestions or proposals put forward by members in the course of this pre-legislative scrutiny process.

In regard to the ombudsman name itself, it became clear during the consultation process that the use of the word "ombudsman" was not going to be suitable. The use of the title of "ombudsman" is protected under section 10A of the Ombudsman Act 1980. The purpose of this provision is to prevent overuse of the term "ombudsman", in particular by bodies which may not be carrying out the normal responsibilities associated with an ombudsman. We also had a few submissions from people pointing to the use of the word "ombudsman" and whether it was appropriate to what we were doing here. The key thing, which has not changed and what we are seeking to strengthen in every way we can, is the purpose of this office. We have moved away from the name "ombudsman". The whole objective and mission is to bring fairness and transparency to the food supply chain, which is why I have selected that name for the office we are going to set up. As I said, in regard to the substance of it and what we are seeking to achieve, I will consider any ideas, thoughts or substance that comes forward from the committee or elsewhere.