Ombudsman’s Task More Difficult

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31094, 24 June 1966, Page 3

Ombudsman’s Task More Difficult

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 23. It seemed clear that the Ombudsman’s office had made a significant impact on public administration, said the Ombudsman, (Sir Guy Powles) in his annual report to Parliament today.

The report said that fewer complaints had been received but there had been an increase in the number of difficult and prolonged investigations. The proportion of justified

eomplaints to those investigated showed a slight increase.

In a few cases, a tendency had been found for the head office of a department to deal with the departmental side of a complaint without keeping the district office sufficiently informed of developments.

“Unless the substance of a complaint and the course of correspondence relating to it are made known to the district office, the value of the investigation in so far as it reveals any administrative weaknesses is diminished,” said the report. The report said departmental co-operation continued in most cases to be sincere and

willing but 'perhaps a little slower than formerly.

The office received 685 complaints during the year ending March 31. Of these 604 were dealt with and 81 were still being investigated. Of the total, 401 did not call for full investigation as they did not fall in the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction. In some cases lack of jurisdiction was apparent, but in a number substantial investigations had to be made before the Ombudsman could determine that he had no jurisdiction to proceed further. Some 272 complaints were fully investigated and 227 were considered not to be justified. The Ombudsman had to

issue formal recommendations in only 12 cases. In many other cases when the investigations were well advanced remedial action was taken by the department or agency concerned. In the remainder remedial action was taken quite quickly. All the Ombudsman’s formal recommendations were accepted and implemented by the relevant authorities. The report said the number of overseas inquiries about the Ombudsman during the last year had been greater than ever.

Academic, professional and official inquiries had come from many countries, including Britain, Italy, Canada, the | United States, India and Australia.