The Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, today announced Mr Peter Tyndall as the Government’s nominee for appointment by the President to be the Ombudsman and Information Commissioner.
Originally from Dublin, Mr Tyndall has been Public Services Ombudsman for Wales since 2008 and will replace Emily O’Reilly who recently left the office to take up the position of European Ombudsman. Mr Tyndall’s appointment will be subject to a resolution of the Dáil and Seanad.
Announcing the Government’s nominee for the position, the Minister said “It was my view that the most satisfactory approach to the nomination process was to invite expressions of interest for the appointment by public advertisement. I initiated this process on 1 August 2013.”
A total of 35 expressions of interest were received from individuals with a wide range of experience spanning both the public and private sector and included journalists, public relations practitioners, serving ombudsmen, public representatives, serving and retired public servants and legal and business professionals. This represented a very strong pool from which to select a nominee for appointment. Some 14 of the applicants were female.
The Minister continued by saying, “I am delighted that Mr Tyndall has accepted the nomination to be our new Ombudsman and Information Commissioner. During Mr Tyndall’s time as Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, the office in Wales has become regarded as a leading example of ombudsman practice and its approaches have been extensively adopted elsewhere.”
The Ombudsman is the senior public official charged with monitoring the public administration through the examination and investigation of complaints from members of the public who believe they have been adversely affected by the administrative actions of a public body. The Ombudsman’s remit now covers all Government Departments, Local Authorities, the HSE, and some 180 additional public bodies recently added to the remit through the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act, 2012.
On appointment, Mr. Tyndall will also serve as Information Commissioner under Freedom of Information legislation, and Commissioner for Environmental Information. The Ombudsman is also an ex officio member of the Standards in Public Offices Commission, the Referendum Commission and the Constituency Commission.
Having regard to the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012 Minister Howlin has decided that appointment as Ombudsman should be preceded by consideration by a committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas and he is therefore referring Mr. Tyndall to the Public Services Oversight and Petitions Committee.
Ends
8 October, 2013
Notes to Editors
Mr. Tyndall has been Public Services Ombudsman for Wales since 2008. His office deals with complaints concerning public organisations responsible for delivering services devolved to the Welsh Government including Health, Social Care, Housing and Local Government. He has worked to modernise his office to provide prompt and effective resolution of complaints and to drive improvement in public services.
Prior to becoming Ombudsman for Wales, Mr. Tyndall was the Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Wales. He was previously Head of Education and Culture for the Welsh Local Government Association and before that worked in a variety of senior positions in housing and social care.
Mr. Tyndall recently served a two year term as Chairman of the British and Irish Ombudsman Association. He is a member of the World and European Boards of the International Ombudsman Institute. He has spoken and published extensively on ombudsman issues.
Originally from Dublin, Mr. Tyndall has lived and worked in Wales for more than 30 years. He has an MSc in Strategic Management from Cardiff University and is married with three daughters.