Ireland's Ombudsman and Information commissioner, Emily O'Reilly, has been elected as European Ombudsman. She will take up the post on October 1.

As the country's Ombudsman, she has been tasked with examining complaints from members of the public who feel they have been unfairly treated by certain public bodies, including the HSE and government departments, since 2003.

She will continue in the job until she takes up her new post in October

Ms O'Reilly beat Dutch MEP Ria Oomen-Ruijten by 359 votes to 276 to secure the job and will be the first female to hold the position.

The European Ombudsman is an independent body that investigates complaints about maladministration in various EU institutions, bodies, offices, and agencies.

Ms O'Reilly succeeds outgoing Ombudsman, Nikiforos Diamandouros, who is retiring from the position. The post comes will a salary of almost €250,000 per year.

For more information on the Office of the Ombudsman, click here