Ombudsman should be elected by the people

YOU say the ombudsman “represents the ordinary people of Ireland’ (Editorial, June 21). If this is so, then the ombudsman should be elected by the people and not selected by politicians or civil servants.

There is a risk that someone could be chosen who is skilled in handling the press and will treat the job just as a PR exercise. The ombudsman complains of ‘secrecy and lack of public scrutiny’ in the civil service.

However, the handling of complaints by her office is ‘secret and not open to public scrutiny’.