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

I am relieved to hear that it is on the list. I am not raising this with the Minister with an eye to asking him to fast-track it as the most important constitutional reform, but I believe it merits serious consideration, because the Office of the Ombudsman is essential from the citizens' point of view in terms of ensuring quality of service delivery, and, in some cases, periods of service delivery, as well as dealing with complaints and concerns as they arise.

The argument for making this a constitutional position is that it would serve to reinforce the independence of the office.

It would offer further reassurance to members of the public that their complaints would be dealt with on their merits. That is a fair assertion. It is a very interesting proposal and one that should be considered more deeply.

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