10. (1) Where there are 2 or more Deputy Ombudsmen, one of those shall be appointed by the Minister to act as Ombudsman—

(a) during the absence of the Ombudsman,

(b) where the Ombudsman stands suspended from his or her office,

(c) while the Ombudsman is unable to perform his or her duties for any reason, or

(d) during a vacancy in the office of the Ombudsman.

(2) A person shall not be appointed to perform the functions of the Ombudsman for a continuous period of more than 12 months during a vacancy in the office of Ombudsman.

(3) No one is entitled to question the appointment under this section of a Deputy Ombudsman to act as Ombudsman.

(4) A Deputy Ombudsman is, when acting as the Ombudsman, taken to be that Ombudsman.