Pat Moylan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the passing of this Bill and compliment the Minister and his officials on their work. I also compliment his predecessor, Deputy Michael Smith, on his work. We must also recognise that the representative bodies made a major contribution. The establishment of an ombudsman for the Defence Forces is important. Senator Brian Hayes made an important point regarding the role of the ombudsman and suggested that the expertise required of an ombudsman may well exist in the office of some other ombudsman in the country. That expertise should be tapped and costs could be spared in the selection of an ombudsman for the Defence Forces. This is a good Bill which has been sought for some time.

The ombudsman for the Defence Forces will probably have to deal with matters a little differently from others because of the chain of command in the Army and the way in which orders are given. Issues that have caused problems in other organisations, for example, speaking in a loud tone to personnel, are part of daily life in the Army. I hope there will not be a plethora of complaints with regard to orders because of how they are issued.

I wish the Minister well and am delighted he has brought this legislation through the House. It has been on the agenda for some time. We will welcome him and any further Bills he wishes to bring forward in the House.