Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

It is very important because it is a serious safeguard for democracy, about which the Senator has just spoken. We have the Oireachtas, a courts system, a free press and an Ombudsman. These are very important safeguards. The Government has sidestepped and shown total disrespect to the Ombudsman. I quote a former Senator, Mr. Maurice Hayes, who wrote recently in the national media. He stated the office of the Ombudsman had been established by the Oireachtas and the least we could do was to respect the office and the integrity of the officeholder.