Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The Minister is making a mistake by refusing to recognise that advocacy, particularly on behalf of the ordinary PAYE compliant taxpayer, is appropriate and necessary. In a manner that is typical of the modicum of arrogance that creeps in when one has been in Government for ten years, the Minister was somewhat tetchy when he stated, if I heard him correctly, that there is an increasing proliferation of ombudsmen. I am unaware of such a proliferation. I am only aware of the State Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Children and of some attempts to introduce a form of inspectorate to the Garda. I am unsure whether the inspectors also can be called ombudsmen. Are there many more?

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