Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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19. To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to improve the operation of the Defence Forces Ombudsman. [35790/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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There are no plans at present for changes to the operation of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. The primary role of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, which is provided for in the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004, is to provide an independent appeals process for members of the Defence Forces. Such appeals arise where a complaint has been processed through the internal Defence Forces “Redress of Wrongs” process but the member remains dissatisfied with the outcome or the manner in which the complaint was handled. The 2004 Act also provides that, subject to certain conditions, the Ombudsman may accept complaints directly from former members of the Defence Forces.

The office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces is well established. A number of administrative and systemic issues identified by the Ombudsman have been addressed by Defence management. This has contributed to improvements in procedures and policies within the Defence Forces. Recent trends show a significant increase in the number of redress of wrongs complaints being resolved within the military system, thus reducing the number of cases being referred to the Ombudsman for investigation.