asked the Minister for the Public Service if he will authorise the opening of regional offices for the Ombudsman to facilitate people outside of Dublin who wish to lodge complaints.
6.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ombudsman Regional Offices.
5.
asked the Minister for the Public Service if he will create a Regional Office of the Ombudsman in Dundalk to serve the north east region.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 6 together.
A major extension of the Ombudsman's remit is being effected from 1 April 1985. This extension includes health boards and local authorities. The Ombudsman has informed me that, in this connection, it is likely that his staff will need to frequently visit regional locations. He has also told me that, in the light of his experience of the extended remit and in pursuance of his statutory responsibility for deciding appropriate procedures for conducting his investigations, he will keep under very close review the most suitable arrangements to facilitate those making complaints to him.
I firmly believe that the Ombudsman, because of his special role, should operate in close proximity to the people; I know that the Ombudsman, too, shares this view. The Deputies may be assured, therefore, that, in conjunction with the Ombudsman, I will play my part in ensuring that this objective is met.
A regional dimension to the Ombudsman's operations could take a number of forms, ranging from that envisaged by the Deputies to an arrangement, which I have suggested previously to the Ombudsman, whereby he and his staff could visit different locations at regular, well-advertised and designated times. Experience of his extended remit will help to indicate the best arrangements which should apply in each region including the north east.
As the Minister generalised in his reply, I should like to ask him if he accepts that the north-east region requires an office of the Ombudsman in view of the desperate need for jobs in Dundalk, allied to the fact that it is the biggest town in the country? For those reasons, does the Minister not accept that it would be an ideal location for the provision of such an office?
I am conscious of the fact that the north-east is a very important region but the Deputy must realise that the office of Ombudsman has been in existence now for just one year. In the Dáil debate of 4 December last year and, earlier, on 25 October 1983, I expressed a personal view to the effect that I would like to think that, in time, there might be regional offices for the Ombudsman or perhaps even the appointment of regional Ombudsmen to deal on a regional basis with matters relating to the regions. The operation of the Ombudsman's office has been very successful. We have placed upon him now the requirement of a major extension of his remit from next April into local authorities, health boards, Bord Telecom and An Post. Experience of the operation of that service will dictate the pace at which the regionalised concept can emerge. There is provision already for the Ombudsman to pay travelling expenses to people who come from rural areas to his office if he feels that there is hardship involved in bearing their own costs.
Does the Minister accept that, at present, public representatives are doing much of the work that is relevant to the office of the Ombudsman and would he agree that the extension of the activities of the Ombudsman to the regions would result in a lot more time being available to TDs to get on with enacting legislation?
I agree. I expressed that view in both of the debates to which I referred. I should like to think that perhaps initially the Ombudsman might consider either himself or his staff going to regional locations on a preadvertised, designated basis. I hope it will be possible for the Ombudsman, with his extended staff this year, to introduce that process.
Many of the problems coming to our attention recently relate to the telephone and postal services. In relation to the extended powers of the Ombudsman, does the Minister see any duplication in the efforts of the Ombudsman in that area and the activities of the telecommunications users' council?
That seems to be a separate question. This is about regionalising the office of the Ombudsman.