This Statement of Strategy sets out our key objectives to 2025. The Statement has been developed in consultation with our external stakeholders and with staff from each of the individual Offices and Business Units.
View our Strategy 2022 to 2025Corporate governance is the systems, principles and processes by which organisations are controlled. The principles of corporate governance are based on managing the organisation with:
Good governance assists with efficient and effective management.
Read our Corporate Governance Framework (PDF)The Office established a PSD Committee in 2018 to assess the human rights and equality issues which arise in relation to the functions of our statutory bodies, as well as our corporate functions as an employer and purchaser of goods and services. The Committee developed an initial action plan, which was incorporated into the Office’s strategy statement for 2019-2021. The PSD Committee was refreshed in 2022 to further build on work already underway to promote, Human Rights, Equality and Diversity in the Office. The PSD Committee has re-assessed our Public Sector Duty and has produced an Action Plan for 2022 – 2025.
Read the Public Sector Duty Assessment and Action PlanThe Protected Disclosures Act 2014 provides safeguards for workers who raise legitimate concerns regarding actual or potential wrongdoing in the workplace. The Office has developed procedures in line with the 2014 Act, which have been approved by the Management Team. The procedures detail:
The Office consists of six separate statutory functions, which share a corporate framework under the rubric of the Office of the Ombudsman. Each statutory Office has its own staff complement and is supported by a “Corporate Spine”, which supports the independence of the statutory bodies by the provision of its own ICT systems, human resources, finance, procurement, legal services, communications expertise and quality assurance. The Office’s operates one internal Protected Disclosures reporting channel for all of its statutory functions, which is managed by designated staff from the Corporate Spine. Section 22 of the 2014 Act requires every public body to prepare and publish an annual report in relation to protected disclosures received under the provisions of that Act. The report below reflects the activity across all of the Office’s statutory functions in respect of protected disclosures from its staff.
Year Protected Disclosures Received
2016 Nil
2017 Nil
2018 Nil
2019 Nil
2020 Nil
2021 Nil
2022 Nil
2023 Nil
The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 also makes provision for a protected disclosure to a prescribed person. Two prescribed persons are located in this Office, which are the Secretary to the Standards in Public Office Commission and the Director of the Commission for Public Service Appointments. A report of wrongdoing may also be made to the Office of the Protected Disclosure Commission (OPDC), which is also part of this Office. The referenced prescribed persons and the OPDC report separately regarding protected disclosures received in their capacity under the Act in their Annual Reports, which are available on their respective websites.
The Ombudsman is a member of the International Ombudsman Institute and the Ombudsman Association.
The Government’s 2019 Climate Action Plan puts in place a decarbonisation pathway to 2030. The plan identifies that early action by public bodies on climate is fundamental to achieving Ireland’s decarbonisation targets and one of our Green Team’s aims is to assist in that regard.
Our Green Team was established in the Office in 2020. The main aims of the Green Team are to introduce environmentally friendly measures in the Office in the areas of energy, waste, transport and water, as well as improving the quality of the working environment. The Green Team has commenced a series of themed monthly awareness programmes to assist staff in making more environmentally sustainable decisions both in work and at home. Measures taken by the Office include:
The Green Team, with the support of senior management, will endeavour to introduce further initiatives that promote environmental sustainability for both individuals and the organisation
Climate Action RoadmapThis scheme was prepared under section 11 of the Official Languages Act, 2003 jointly by the Office of the Ombudsman and the Office of the Information Commissioner.
Official Languages Act