Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not believe that is the case. Incidentally the Deputy might be interested to know that the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces makes recommendations to the Minister and the Minister must decide whether to accept or reject them. Owing to the impact on members of the Defence Forces it was always my view that when a recommendation is received from the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces it should be given relatively speedy consideration by the Minister of the day, and decisions made and communicated. When I became Minister there was a substantial backlog of reports from the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces to my predecessor that had not been addressed. We had to take special action to have them addressed and to bring us up to a situation where within a relatively short time of getting a recommendation from the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces it was responded to. I am afraid the Deputy's party did not cover itself in glory in office just over 19 months ago in dealing with either recommendations from the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces or even in taking that office seriously.

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