This series of papers was presented at a conference held in 1992 to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the creation of a first national Ombudsman under the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967.The distinguished contributors present an intriguing picture of the Ombudsman in a number of contexts. Accessibility to the Parliamentary Commissioner is considered and there is an analysis of the arguments surrounding recent proposals for a so called Prison Ombudsman. A comparative dimension is introduced with an examination of the Polish Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection.A significant element of the paper on the issue of competence to deal with the legality of administrative action. There is also an examination of the dynamics that continue to shape the Local Government Ombudsman remedy.