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Annual Report of the Ombudsman 2003

Chapter 1 - Introduction

I began my work as Ombudsman on June 1st 2003, following my appointment by her Excellency, President Mary McAleese after resolutions, supporting my appointment, were passed by Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann.

This report therefore covers the first six months of my appointment and the last six months of that of my predecessor, Kevin Murphy who had served as Ombudsman since 1994. I wish to pay tribute to Kevin for the manner in which he succeeded in executing the goals he set for himself and for the Office in his first Annual Report. He played a key role in improving standards in the public service as a whole, laid out clear guidelines for the elimination of maladministration, and helped to increase the awareness of government and public bodies of the rights and needs of the people they serve. I wish him a happy and fulfilling retirement. This year, 2004, marks the 20th anniversary of the Office of the Ombudsman and provides an opportunity both to reflect on its achievements and to chart a course for its future. Our recently published statement of strategy highlights a number of goals in relation to the operation of the Office, and to our interaction with complainants and with public bodies, which, when achieved, should yield significant benefits to both groups and further copperfasten the position of the Office as a force for positive change in Irish society.

I would now like briefly to reflect on some of those goals.

Quality Service to Clients

As Ombudsman, I feel a great sense of responsibility towards those who feel they have been treated unfairly and who make a complaint to my Office. For many, I represent the final and only chance they have of getting redress if I find that the complaint is justified. It is vital therefore, that the service that my Office provides is as speedy, accessible, fair and humane as possible. We demand high standards from others and should be no less demanding of ourselves.

Supporting Public Bodies and Institutions Within our Remit

Since my appointment I have emphasised on a number of occasions that the Ombudsman is not there to oppose in a hostile fashion the workings and decisions of those bodies against whom complaints have been made. I see my role as one that provides support to those bodies in the same way as it provides support to complainants, while acknowledging the very often weaker position of a complainant in a dispute. My predecessor encouraged public bodies to develop their own internal complaints mechanisms and that is an area I also wish to develop. I would also like to see a greater pooling of information among local authorities and other bodies about difficult issues that arise and how effective resolutions have been achieved. My Office intends to be pro-active in encouraging these and other measures to bring about higher standards of customer service and a public administration that puts the needs of the public first. My overall aim is to break down the mindset that places barriers between "them" and "us".

Serving Civil Society

Given the wide variety of complaints that I receive, the Office has a privileged, bird's eye view of public administration and the working through of legislation on the ground. My Office will seek to share our observations on these matters with society generally through our valued engagement with the Oireachtas through its committees and comment, where appropriate, on proposed and existing legislation.

Raising Awareness

In our increasingly litigious society, my Office can provide resolutions to disputes that cost the complainant nothing and, by also addressing procedural deficiencies, can yield results often more broadly-based than those achieved through the formal legal system - even if such an option were open to the complainant. Since my appointment I have been greatly impressed by some of the very positive outcomes that have emerged, even in situations which initially appeared hopeless. The goal of the Office is to achieve fair results above all. It is therefore vital that the people we serve are aware of the Office, of how to access it, and of what can realistically be achieved by using its services.

Best Practice Organisation

I want to see my Office build on its past achievements and by further developing our staff, our business processes and our technology supports, to become a best practice organisation operating to the highest standards in the delivery of our services.

Finally, I would like to thank Tom Morgan for his assistance in the preparation of this, my first Annual Report. My thanks also go to all the staff of the Office, led by Director General Pat Whelan, for the help and support they have given to me since my appointment. I have been hugely impressed both by their commitment to serving the people who seek our help, and by their ambition to make the Office even more effective and relevant in the years ahead.

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