Mr. Ger Deering:

It is fair to say that a considerable number of public servants do the job well and the way they should. However, I take the Deputy's point. We should not be relying on public servants doing things well of their own volition. There is the public service duty, with which the Deputy is probably familiar, which takes a human rights-based approach. As I mentioned in my report, we introduced a guide for our staff. We now take a human rights-based approach to our investigations. If we are investigating a county council or whatever else for an action, we ask questions of its representatives.

The guide assists. It is a guide for our investigators to ask the exact questions of public servants that the Deputy has just referenced. We hope that, by doing this, we will increase awareness and understanding that this is not some beneficial charitable service that is being provided. It must be done through the human rights-based lens of treating people with respect and dignity. We are putting a big emphasis on that. We ask public bodies how they treat people. When we talk about making complaints, we always say that we do not just look at the service. It is not just about whether people are entitled to a grant, rent supplement or whatever else they are seeking. It is about how people are treated as they apply for it and if they are treated with respect and dignity.

We talked about this issue at a workshop on housing last year. Two days later, we received a complaint from one of the people who had been there. It was interesting. The complaint was not about the housing situation but about how that family had not been treated with respect and dignity. We investigated and I met the family because they had been treated very poorly indeed. We take that seriously. We think the role we are playing and the work we are doing in conjunction with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission will help to ensure we get where the Deputy wants to go. However, I accept we are not fully there yet. I think, to be fair, that many public servants deal appropriately with people.