Galway West TD, Derek Nolan has been elected Vice-Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions at its meeting this afternoon.
Upon his appointment, Deputy Nolan thanked his colleagues for electing him and said “the petitions system for the first time provides for members of the public to set the parliamentary agenda. The petitions our Committee has received so far raise important issues and, in considering petitions received, we examine the public service not from the perspective of the policy maker or senior civil servant but through the lens of the citizen.
“The Committee also has an important role in public service oversight and, particularly, in interacting with the Ombudsman on citizens’ concerns around delivery of public services. I look forward to making a contribution to a Committee, which is becoming a powerful and robust champion on behalf of the citizens we serve.”