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

The Minister would have heard the Ombudsman note in the same speech the fact that some companies — he instanced Irish Water — provide services that were once under his remit but no longer are. He cited all the networked services, including the post, electricity, gas, public transport and telecommunications services. He raised this as a really serious issue concerning public accountability. He also raised it, very fairly, as an issue concerning the assurance of quality of service, or the provision of a service at all for some sections of the population. He is arguing on the one hand for the underpinning of the position within the Constitution — we can debate whether that raises its status and whether it is desirable — and, on the other, for the expansion of the office's remit to encompass all those services that may be regarded as public services, even if provided by private providers.

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