The Parliamentary Ombudsman makes sure that the authorities do their job
Anyone can get in touch
- not complied with the law
- neglected its duties, or
- violated a person’s fundamental or human rights.
For example, the Parliamentary Ombudsman supervises:
Authorities:
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central government agencies and institutions (including tax offices)
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municipal agencies and institutions (including comprehensive schools and day-care centres, children’s homes, reform schools and institutions providing care, health centres…)
Public servants:
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police officers
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social workers
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health centre doctors
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comprehensive school teachers
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legal guardians
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building inspectors
Private companies
The Ombudsman supervises private companies when a municipality or the central government buys their services.
Care homes are an example of these companies.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s supervisory activities include
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examining complaints made to him
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investigating on his own initiative problems of which he has been informed
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inspecting institutions and agencies
Some 5,000 complaints and 150 inspections
The Parliamentary Ombudsman receives some 5,000 complaints every year. Many of them are about social security, health care, the police, prisons, courts of law and the education authorities. Inspections are carried out at over 100 sites a year. Most of these are police departments and various institutions that provide care.
Examples of cases where the Parliamentary Ombudsman has stepped in:
A school:
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the principal and teachers did nothing when a teenager was bullied.
The police:
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the police locked up a teenager and two children.
A children’s home:
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all children were punished because one person had broken the rules.
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young people’s telephone use was restricted.
