Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I assume the Deputy is referring to the annual report of the Ombudsman in respect of 2010, which was laid before each House of the Oireachtas on 21 June 2011. The annual report showed a welcome drop in the number of complaints lodged with the Ombudsman, down from 229 in 2008 to 116 in 2010.

One of the issues raised by the Ombudsman in her report was the delay during 2010 in responding to the final reports of the Ombudsman, with 19 cases awaiting attention at the end of the year. I can confirm that these outstanding cases were prioritised and that a final determination issued to the Ombudsman in respect of all of those cases during the first six months of 2011. A total of 35 final determinations were issued to the Ombudsman in 2011, an increase from 20 in 2010. Procedures to prioritise the processing of Ombudsman for the Defence Forces final reports on an ongoing basis have been put in place by the Defence Forces and my Department.

Since the establishment of the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces in 2005, a number of human resource procedures have been reviewed and revised following recommendations in her final reports, for example, the selection processes for career courses and overseas service. In addition, the recommendations of the Ombudsman have informed the development of a new promotions scheme that is near finalisation as part of the commitments under the Croke Park agreement. Nearly 50% of all complaints arise from administrative issues in the promotion system and the new scheme is designed to resolve these. In addition, a standing committee on HR issues reviews the implementation of systemic recommendations from the Ombudsman every month.

While dealing with the individual grievances referred to in the Ombudsman's reports, her reports are also used to inform the ongoing development of best practice in human resource management for the Defence Forces. The case load of the Ombudsman has been falling in recent years as HR systems in the Defence Forces have been improved and action has been taken to improve the overall workplace environment.

Funding of €520,000 was allocated in 2011, but the actual expenditure requirement of the office was in the region of €486,000. While the funding allocation for this year has not yet been finalised, it is my intention that the 2012 allocation will be appropriate to meet the needs of the Ombudsman's office for this year having regard to the current economic constraints.

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