At present the Freedom of Information Act does not apply to the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces.
Since the establishment of my Office, I have adhered to the spirit of the FOI Act and, in so far as is practicable, I operate within the framework and confines of the Act regarding the administrative functions of the Office.
However, the complaint and investigative process of the work of an Ombudsman is, in the normal course, exempted from Freedom of Information legislation. Therefore, in keeping with standards of best practice for Ombudsmen, details of individual cases investigated by my Office will not be disclosed and their confidentiality is protected.
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The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces complies with the Regulations on the Re-use of Public Sector Information and encourages the re-use of information produced by the Office.
All of the information featured on our website is the copyright of the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces unless otherwise indicated. You may re-use the information on this website free of charge in any format.
Re-use includes copying, issuing copies to the public, publishing, broadcasting and translating into other languages. It also covers non-commercial research and study.
Information and documents obtained from this website may be reproduced and / or re-used subject to the latest PSI licence available at gov.ie Generally re-use is subject to the following conditions. You must:
The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces is not liable for any loss or liability associated with the re-use of information available on its website and does not certify that the information is up-to-date or error free. The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces does not authorise any user to have exclusive rights to re-use of its information.
The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces maintains the following information on its website:
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The Office is located at 15 Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2.
Access to the ‘Built Environment’ is controlled and the responsibility of the Department of Foreign Affairs, who are the main tenants. In order to ensure people with disabilities can more easily access our services, the Office of Ombudsman for Defence Forces, where it is practicable and appropriate, will provide any assistance identified as necessary.
Our Accessibility Statement is available here.
The role of our Accessibility Officer is to support our customers who require assistance when engaging with the services provided by the Ombudsman For the Defence Forces. In accordance with Section 26 (2) of the Disability Act 2005, if you require assistance to access our services, please contact our Accessibility Officer, John Sheridan.
John Sheridan
Accessibility Officer
15 Lower Hatch Street
Dublin 2
D02 R884
+353 1 663 3222
The staffing level of the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces is currently
The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces is registered with the Data Protection Commissioner. The Office is also registered under the Direct Professional Access Scheme of the Bar Council of Ireland.
A Health & Safety Statement from the Office is in place. The Health & Safety Policy regarding the building in which ODF is accommodated is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces is not currently prescribed Body under the Official Languages Act, 2003.
However, in keeping with the practice across the Public Service, the Office endeavours to provide information in both Irish and English. Annual Reports are published in both languages and www.odf.ie is also presented in both languages.
Trust and confidence in procedures for dealing with cases are essential ingredients to the successful work of an Ombudsman. Strict rules governing respect for the confidentiality of all cases received by the Office have been in place since its inception.
The President, Michael D. Higgins, on the recommendation of Government, appointed Mr. Justice Alan Mahon as Ombudsman for the Defence Forces with effect from 6th July 2018. The Ombudsman was selected following an open competition run by the Public Appointments Service. His appointment was renewed for a further 3 years from 6 July 2021.
Mr. Justice Mahon resides in Co. Dublin and is originally from Tullamore, Co. Offaly. He was called to the Bar in 1976, became a Senior Counsel in 1988 and was appointed a Circuit Court Judge in 2002. He chaired The Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments (the Mahon Tribunal) from 2003, and which was originally established in 1997.
In October 2014, Mr. Justice Mahon was appointed a Judge of the newly established Court of Appeal. His term as Ombudsman is due to expire on 5 July 2024.
If you are a member or a former member of the Defence Forces of Ireland and you believe that you have been treated unfairly or would like information about how to process a complaint, the Office of the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) is here to help you.
The Office of the Ombudsman serves as an Office of independent external review for existing and former members of the Defence Forces. Any individual, who is a serving or former member of the Defence Forces, may refer a complaint directly to the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. Serving members may, however, (and frequently do), first use the Defence Forces’ Internal Investigation Process (Section 114 of the Defence Act 1954, as amended) prior to referring a complaint to the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. The benefit in using the internal process is the possibility of a resolution of the complaint being achieved. Most complaints are resolved internally, and if not resolved a Complainant has the option to have the matter referred to the Ombudsman’s Office.
A serving member who initiates the Defence Forces Internal Investigation Process may, after 28 days have passed since submitting his/her complaint, refer the complaint directly to the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, and the Ombudsman may, if satisfied that the matter is unlikely to be resolved internally, investigate the complaint.
It should be noted that the Ombudsman may decide not to carry out an investigation if he is of the opinion that the complainant has not taken reasonable steps to seek redress or if the complainant has taken such steps, that he or she has not been refused redress.
For more information on your right to initiate a complaint and the circumstances in which the Ombudsman can be of assistance please refer to the Legislation establishing the Office under Legislation on this website where you will find the full text of the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004, as amended by the Defence (Amendment) Act 2007 [Section.11-Schedule 4(Part 4)]. There is also a summary of the role and function of the Office under the section ‘Questions which you may have about how to use the Office of Ombudsman for The Defence Forces’ which you may find helpful.
If you wish to make a complaint directly to the Ombudsman, please complete the secure on-line Complaint Form to communicate directly with the Office of the Ombudsman. Please keep a printed copy of the completed Complaint Form for your personal records.
You may communicate with the Office by telephone Phone +3531663 3222. You may communicate by e-mail to admin@odf.ie or you may write to the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, 15, Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.
If you are a member or a former member of the Defence Forces of Ireland and you believe that you have been treated unfairly or would like information about how to process a complaint, the Office of the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) is here to help you.
The Office of the Ombudsman serves as an Office of independent external review for existing and former members of the Defence Forces. Serving members of the Defence Forces may (and normally do) first use the Defence Forces’ Internal Investigation Process (Section 114 of the Defence Act 1954, as amended) prior to referring a complaint to the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. The benefit in using the internal process is the possibility of a resolution of the complaint being achieved. Most complaints are resolved internally, and if not resolved a Complainant has the option to have the matter referred to the Ombudsman’s Office.
It should be noted that the Ombudsman may decide not to carry out an investigation if he is of the opinion that the complainant has not taken reasonable steps to seek redress or if the complainant has taken such steps, that he or she has not been refused redress.
For more information on your right to initiate a complaint and the circumstances in which the Ombudsman can be of assistance please refer to the Legislation establishing the Office under Legislation on this Website where you will find the full text of the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004, as amended by the Defence (Amendment) Act 2007 [Section.11-Schedule 4(Part 4)]. There is also a summary of the role and function of the Office under the section ‘Questions which you may have about how to use the Office of Ombudsman for The Defence Forces’ which you may find helpful.
If you wish to make a complaint directly to the Ombudsman, please complete the secure on-line Complaint Form to communicate directly with the Office of the Ombudsman. Please keep a printed copy of the completed Complaint Form for your personal records.
You may communicate with the Office by telephone Phone +3531663 3222. You may communicate by e-mail to admin@odf.ie or you may write to the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, 15, Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.