Defence ombudsman appointed

The new Defence Forces Ombudsman, Paulyn Marrinan Quinn, has said the establishment of her office should foster confidence among military personnel that any grievance they may have will be dealt with in a speedy and impartial manner.

Speaking after her formal appointment to the post by President Mary McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin yesterday, Ms Marrinan Quinn said although she expected to be busy in her new role, she had no reason to think bullying was a major issue within the Defence Forces.

"Every workforce has its problems. We are very aware of accountability and access and transparency, and people need to feel the comfort of knowing that there's somebody there to ensure that they are fairly treated and that they can feel free to access that person," she said.

"In that respect it's like any other workplace but in other respects it's completely different, of course.

"There is that balance to be struck between access to an Ombudsman and all that that entails and the balance to be struck in the Defence Forces context, where there is the chain of command and where there are all those sensitivities to be acknowledged - the balance in that is a very important factor."

Ms Marrinan Quinn's appointment comes after repeated assertions by Defence Forces' representative bodies that members were reluctant to report bullying. Research into bullying in the Defence Forces has revealed that one in four members has been victimised in this way at some point.

Legislation to appoint a Defence Forces Ombudsman was enacted last November and Ms Marrinan Quinn's appointment was approved by the Cabinet a fortnight ago.

Any member of the Defence Forces can take their grievance to her if they have exhausted the internal disciplinary procedures and believe they have not been treated fairly.

Anybody whose complaint is not dealt with within a 28-day period can bypass the internal system and go straight to Ms Marrinan Quinn.