asked the Taoiseach if the Government have given any further consideration to the possibility of creating an office of Ombudsman; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Appointment of Ombudsman.
1.
The Public Services Organisation Review Group have recommended that a Commissioner for Administrative Justice should be attached to a Department of the Public Service to deal with the installation and operation of an appellate system in the public service. When the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 1971, is enacted, examination of this recommendation will be among the matters to be dealt with by the proposed new Department of the Public Service provided for in the Bill.
Does the Taoiseach not believe this is urgent and that something should be done immediately? Deputies are elected to do legislative work but at the present time they are being used more or less as messenger boys. A system has been built up the effect of which is that certain Departments, especially the Department of Social Welfare, will not reply to individuals, but when a TD approaches them they are on the ball immediately. Does the Taoiseach believe in a system which means that people must beg for what are their rights?
I do not accept at all that the Department of Social Welfare will not reply to individual correspondents.
They do not.
I will readily admit they are not always very expeditious because of the huge volume of work and correspondence they get but Deputies have always been at the disposal of their constituents and I hope they always will be.
Why is a system being built up whereby Departments will not reply for weeks? People write five, six and seven times during a period of months and they do not get any reply, but when a Deputy writes the Department will be on the ball immediately.
The question has to do with the appointment of an ombudsman.
It is a system we would all want to see eliminated but we are talking about something which I said is being looked into.
We were talking about it six months ago and nothing has been done about it. They have a system in Northern Ireland and I do not see why we have to wait to have it here.
Is it not the case that the Minister for Finance is in charge of this Department of the Public Service?
That is the case.
Why can he not get on with it now without waiting for the Department to be established?
It will be a new Department, a new departure, and many things will have to be examined.
But it will not be a new Minister. Surely it is the Minister who will decide——
He must have people to work under him. This will involve a lot of people.
There will probably be too many civil servants.
The trouble is that the Opposition want to have it both ways.
The trouble is the Government are not having it at all.
You had your job in the Mansion House the other day.
We had the biggest crowd for years. It was not like the boys in the bull ring. There was constructive talk there.