• Tá Tú Anseo:
• Baile /
• Site Tools /
• FOI /
• Lámhleabhar Faisnéise (Alt 15)

Lámhleabhar Faisnéise (Alt 15)

OMBUDSMAN - BACKGROUND

The concept of Ombudsman - the representative of the people - may still be relatively new in Ireland, but in Sweden an Ombudsman was first appointed in 1809. In 1919 Finland adopted the idea but it was not until after 1954, when Denmark established an Ombudsman's Office, that the idea of an Ombudsman started to attract world-wide attention. In 1962, New Zealand, a country with local and central administration similar to Ireland, appointed its first Ombudsman. Since then, the institution of Ombudsman has spread world-wide.

In 1980, the Oireachtas passed legislation establishing the Ombudsman's Office in Ireland. It was brought into effect in 1983 and Ireland's first Ombudsman (Mr Michael Mills) was appointed in January 1984.

The establishment of the Office in Ireland was the culmination of a process of consideration and debate which had taken place over a number of years previously. The most important aspect of this debate was the creation of an All-Party Committee of the Oireachtas on Administrative Justice which reported in 1977. The recommendations of this Committee formed the basis for the legislation under which the Office of the Ombudsman was established, i.e. the Ombudsman Act, 1980.

Ireland's first Ombudsman, Mr. Michael Mills, served in the Office from 1984 to 1994. Mr. Mills was a widely respected political correspondent with the Irish Press for many years prior to his appointment as Ombudsman. The current Ombudsman is Mr. Kevin Murphy who took up the Office in November 1994. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Murphy was Secretary General in charge of Public Service Management and Development at the Department of Finance. In addition to his role as Ombudsman, Mr. Murphy is the current Chairman of the Public Offices Commission (set up under the Ethics in Public Office Act, 1995) and is a member of both the Constituency Commission and of the Referendum Commission. He has also been appointed as Information Commissioner and will be responsible for reviewing decisions by public bodies to refuse information when the Freedom of Information Act, 1997 comes into force on 21 April 1998.

Back to contents