Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As there are many amendments being discussed together, perhaps it would make more sense to start with amendments Nos. 25 and 26 and work backwards.

On amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 25, there are some who argue coherently that any body which is fully funded or in receipt of substantial public funds should not be exempt from the gaze of the "Ombudswoman" or "Ombudsman". If one thinks about the purpose of an ombudsman, that logically makes a good deal of sense. If the purpose is to ensure transparency, fairness, good procedures, good decision-making and, above all, accountability, the logical position that should be adopted is that everybody should be included and that there should be no specific exemptions. In the course of the debate in the Seanad, for instance, colleagues from my party but also Senator Seán D. Barrett argued this point forcefully, logically and convincingly. However, that is not where I am coming from on this issue. My main concern is the decision that has been made to exclude the Department of Justice and Equality, in so far as it relates to an action taken in the administration of the law relating to immigration or naturalisation and in the administration of the prisons and other places of detention for persons committed to custody by the courts. I raised this issue previously with the Minister-----

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