Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 February 2026
189. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether, following the 2023 Periodic Critical Review of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, his Department has considered further evaluation of admissibility thresholds or screening criteria applied to complaints; and if not, to state the basis on which he is satisfied that current arrangements strike an appropriate balance between independence and accessibility. [9069/26]
View answerThe Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) is independent in the performance of their functions. As Minister for Finance I have no role in the day to day workings of the office or in the decisions which the Ombudsman takes.
The Periodic Critical Review of the FSPO, published in 2023, concluded “that the current model of the FSPO as a State body under the aegis of the Department of Finance is still the most appropriate, that the FSPO plays a vital role within the overall financial architecture, providing an independent, impartial and cost-effective means of complaint resolution for consumers and that its functions are still required.”
The FSPO also publishes an annual Overview of Complaints, which includes a summary of all complaints made to the FSPO, a review of trends and patterns in the making of complaints to the FSPO; a breakdown of the method by which all complaints made to the FSPO were dealt with; and a summary of the outcome of all complaints concluded or terminated.
