On 18 May 2023, the Ombudsman, Ms Winnie Chiu, announced the launch of a direct investigation to examine the driving test arrangements of the Transport Department (“TD”). The Office has received 40 complaints related to driving tests, involving such issues as candidates’ discontent about the waiting time for driving tests, TD’s early test appointment booking system, the scheduling of driving tests, as well as appeals and arrangements for video recording of driving tests.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Emeritus Joseph Zammit McKeon, the Maltese Ombudsman, attended the Executive and Governing Board meeting of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsman (AOM) in Kosovo. This meeting was part of a three-day conference organised by the Ombudsman Institution of Kosovo in partnership with the AOM discussing ‘Integrity and Independence of Ombudsman Institutions: resilience amidst Challenges.’

In her latest report Complaint handling casebook: Resolving issues informally, Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass describes how her office resolves complaints and works constructively with agencies and public bodies to fix problems and improve public administration.

La síndica de greuges, Esther Giménez-Salinas, ha participado en el III Congreso de Familia, Infancia y Capacidad, organizado por los colegios de abogados de Málaga, Barcelona y Antequera y por la Plataforma Familia&Derecho. Se han tratado temas como el acoso en las redes sociales y el sistema de protección de menores, entre otros.

On 4 May 2023, the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson, Mr. François Boileau, announced his intention to closely monitor complaints received at his office concerning individuals who have already paid back COVID-related benefit overpayments to the Government of Canada yet are still receiving collection letters from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Les hacemos llegar el 72. Reporte Internacional de “Derechos Humanos en Perspectiva Internacional” elaborado por el Programa de Observación y Asistencia para el Fortalecimiento de las Defensorías del Pueblo, que forma parte de la Unidad de Política Institucional de la Defensoría del Pueblo de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Argentina).

On 8 May 2023, the signing of the MOU on bilateral cooperation between the Chief Ombudsman of Thailand, Mr. Somsak Suwansujarit, and the Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea, Ms. Jeon Hyun-Heui, took place at the Office of the Secretariat of the International Ombudsman Institute in Vienna, in the Republic of Austria.

On 7 May 2023, the Office of the Ombudsman, within the Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman, hosted a peer learning event for staff of the Ministry of Defense on the theme: "Handling Complaints - Exposure and Challenges".