Set up five years ago by the banking industry, this office achieved considerable credibility from the start because of its wide terms of reference and the distance the banks and building societies kept from its day-to-day operations. It dealt with more than 1,000 complaints last year.
The Ombudsman, Mr Gerry Murphy, has severely criticised the banks in the past and can make awards of redress of up to £30,000 as well as order the offending bank to change its practices.
Besides the institutional representatives, the high-profile Ombudsman's Council includes the former Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt Gen Noel Bergin and the author, Deirdre Purcell, representing consumers.
The Ombudsman
Mr Kevin Murphy: current office-holder took over in 1994
The current office-holder is a respected civil servant, Mr Kevin Murphy, who took over from the first Ombudsman, the former journalist, Mr Michael Mills, in 1994.
The Ombudsman's office dealt with more than 2,500 complaints in 1996 (its last reported year), the bulk of which concern local authorities and social welfare services.
Complaints against Telecom Eireann which was once the bete noir of the service, will fall out of the Ombudsman's reach by 2000.
Director of Consumer Affairs
Mr William Fagan: carries a big stick and will pursue offenders
Led by Mr William Fagan, a civil servant cum consumer champion, this office has been the most outspoken critic in the State of the business establishment. The director's remit is extremely broad and covers areas as disparate as policing complex financial lending practices to the correct labelling of tins of food.
He also carries a big stick and will pursue persistent offenders through the courts. With the most public profile of all the Ombudsmen and consumer agencies, his office, which was considerably expanded in 1996, is often the first that consumers with a complaint or query turn to, even if their problem falls outside his remit. A new shop has opened in Cork and others are to follow shortly in Limerick, Athlone and Sligo. Fiercely independent, there is, nevertheless, a growing demand by consumer groups for this office to be made statutorily independent of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
The Insurance Ombudsman
Ms Paulyn Marrinan Quinn: to leave her post in August after five difficult years
The first Insurance Ombudsman, the barrister, Ms Paulyn Marrinan Quinn, will leave her post in August, after five difficult years. Well-regarded, she set a high standard but from the onset interference by the board and the Irish Insurance Federation severely restricted her terms of reference by not allowing her office to handle complaints about mis-selling by insurance brokers or policy values.
Since these accounted for more than a third of complaints in various years her mandate proved a difficult one to fulfil. Nevertheless, 15,000 verbal and written complaints were handled by Ms Quinn's office since 1992 and her judgments and investigations have clearly improved the internal complaints procedures within insurance companies and their standards of care to their customers.
The Pensions Board
Ms Ann Maher: head of the pensions board
Set up in 1990 by the Pension Act, the Pensions Board is headed by Ms Anne Maher, a former senior pensions executive with Irish Life. The board's remit is to safeguard the rights of occupational pension scheme members and ensure the smooth running by trustees of these schemes.
Although it also provides information and training and is the official pensions adviser to the Government, its primary role is to champion the pension rights of ordinary members. It has pursued a number of companies through the courts and has investigated several cases that came to light as a result of the new "whistle-blowing" legislation. Funded by a levy on occupational schemes, it is actively lobbying for the setting up of an official Pensions Ombudsman, to further safeguard the independence and objectivity of the adjudication process.
