Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I accept what Senator O'Donovan stated about solicitors being on the front line in that they offer services directly to clients much more frequently than barristers. I should stress that I approve of the idea of the levy. I certainly was not putting it any higher than simply raising the difference in numbers of complaints. I accept fully that both the Bar Council and the Law Society should pay into the levy. It is a reasonably fair proposal that the 80% remainder of the levy would be split pro rata according to the number of the complaints.

All of this is subject to how much the overall cost of the ombudsman service will be and how much it will cost to run a service that provides the necessary scrutiny for members of the public who are dissatisfied with the service they have received from barristers and solicitors. We must never lose sight of the important objective of the ombudsman's office while at the same ensuring it does not generate enormous cost overruns in doing so.