The Office of the Ombudsman in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

was set up under the terms of the Ombudsman Act 1980, as amended by the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012. The current Ombudsman is

Peter Tyndall Peter Tyndall is the Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, and Commissioner for Environmental Information of Ireland. As Ombudsman, he is ex-officio member of four important statutory oversight bodies: the Commission for Public Service Appointme ...

Functions

The Ombudsman is appointed by the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...

upon the nomination of both

Houses of the Oireachtas The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the bicameral parliament of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of: *The President of Ireland *The two houses of the Oireachtas ( ga, Tithe an Oireachtais): **Dáil Éireann ( ...

. The Ombudsman deals with complaints against providers of public services including

Departments of State The United States federal executive departments are the principal units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. They are analogous to ministries common in parliamentary or semi-presidential systems but (the Unite ...

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

, the HSE, publicly funded third-level education bodies, nursing homes and direct provision accommodation centres. The Ombudmsman is ex-officio a member of three important statutory oversight bodies: the

Commission for Public Service Appointments The Commission for Public Service Appointments ( ga, Coimisiúin um Cheapacháin Seirbhíse Poiblí) is an independent Irish statutory body which sets standards for recruitment in the public service. The Commission is not to be confused with the P ...

, the

Referendum Commission A Referendum Commission ( ga, An Coimisiún Reifrinn) is an independent statutory body in Ireland which is set up in advance of any referendum. The Referendum Act 1998 as amended by the Referendum Act 2001 provides for the establishment of the bod ...

and the

Standards in Public Office Commission The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) ( ga, Coimisiún um Chaighdeáin in Oifigí Poiblí) is an independent body established in December 2001 by the Irish Government under the Standards in Public Office Act, 2001. It replaced the Public ...

Extension of remit, 2012

The Ombudsman's remit was greatly extended by The Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012 which brought approximately 200 additional public bodies under the scrutiny of the Ombudsman. The Act also designated the Ombudsman as Director (Chief Executive) of the Office of the Commission for Public Service Appointments. The Act was the first in a series of public service reform measures by the

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform ( ga, An Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The department was established in ...

, the other measures being the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Act 2013, the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, the Freedom of Information Act 2014, the Registration of Lobbyists Act 2015 and the Public Sector Standards Bill 2015.

Proposal for constitutional status

In the 2012 Annual Report, the then Ombudsman,

Emily O'Reilly Emily O'Reilly is an author and former journalist and broadcaster who became Ireland's first female Ombudsman in 2003, succeeding Kevin Murphy. On 3 July 2013, she was voted European Ombudsman by the European Parliament. She was re-elected ...

argued strongly for constitutional status to be conferred on the Office of the Ombudsman, with a constitutional guarantee of independence from the Government, similar to that enjoyed by the

Comptroller and Auditor General An auditor general, also known in some countries as a comptroller general or comptroller and auditor general, is a senior civil servant charged with improving government accountability by auditing and reporting on the government's operations. Fr ...

. This appeal was reiterated by her successor,

List of ombudsmen

Other ombudsmen

There are other ombudsmen established in

relating to particular sectors: *The first Pensions Ombudsman, Paul Kenny, was appointed in 2003. Following his retirement in 2016, the office was to be amalgamated with that of the Financial Services Ombudsman, and a new office, the Office of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, was created by an Act of 2017 (No 22 of 2017). In the interim period, pending the passage of this legislation, the then Financial Services Ombudsman, Ger Deering, was appointed as Pensions Ombudsman, holding both offices under separate legislation. * Emily Logan became Ireland's first Ombudsman for Children in March 2004. The current holder of that office is Dr. Niall Muldoon. * The Financial Services Ombudsman incorporated the older offices of the

Insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

Ombudsman and Ombudsman for

Credit Institutions A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

in 2005.Irish financial ombudsman website
/ref> * Also established in 2005 was the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, the first holder being Paulyn Marrinan Quinn, formerly the founding Insurance Ombudsman. * An Act of 2005 created a three-person tribunal, the

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is an independent statutory body in Ireland charged with overseeing the Garda Síochána, the national police force. It is a three-member body established under the Garda Síochána Act, 2005 to dea ...

, to investigate complaints about the country's police force. * Legislation has been enacted to establish a Legal Services Ombudsman. All these offices are statutory and their holders are public servants. * A (non-statutory) Press Ombudsman began work in January 2008 The Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012 provided for the statutory protection of the title of Ombudsman.

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.ombudsman.ie/ 1980 establishments in Ireland