Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I share Senator O'Donovan's concern about this section of the Bill, which seems rather open-ended. I would have thought that the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights would be the obvious committee before which the ombudsman would appear. I am slightly bemused as to why any other committee would require the ombudsman to appear before it. On this section I pondered why it is necessary to specify that the legal services ombudsman would attend. We have had recent public concern about people refusing to attend Oireachtas committees. I would have thought by nature of the office the legal services ombudsman would be obliged to appear if required. Perhaps the Minister of State will enlighten me on that. Will this provision be standard in any legislation establishing a body of this nature? It seems implicit that while serving as legal services ombudsman they should be obliged to appear before a relevant committee, but perhaps I am wrong about that.