Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is not my intention to distort the figures in any way, which I know Dr. Muldoon was not suggesting. The point I was making is that in my view the remit of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children is in many cases too narrow. For a parent to take up an issue with the ombudsman requires him or her to have been seriously aggrieved. Many parents who have been aggrieved never think of taking up the matter with the ombudsman such that those who have done so must have been seriously aggrieved. It is my contention that many parents do not get what they consider to be a satisfactory outcome. Grievances can be real or imagined. The point I am getting at is that the ombudsman's office is a suitable cover for the Department. In reality, the system is not working as well as it should be, although that is no reflection on Office of the Ombudsman for Children.