In April, the Chief Ombudsman announced investigations into four agencies (the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the Ministry for the Environment, the Department of Conservation, and Land Information New Zealand) as part of a long-term strategy to raise the quality of official information delivery from the public sector.

The CPT-report reviews the treatment of persons detained by the police, the situation of prisoners held in three county prisons (ie Zagreb, Split and Osijek) and the Zagreb Prison Hospital, as well as the treatment of juveniles deprived of their liberty under criminal legislation. The situation of involuntary psychiatric patients is examined in the light of the recently adopted mental health legislation at different psychiatric establishments.

The Greek Ombudsman, Andreas Pottakis, presented his assessment on the relocation programme for asylum seekers which ran between September 2015 and September 2017, during the recent meeting of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) in Brussels, where he participates in the capacity of Regional Director.

Une cinquantaine de citoyens ont participé au forum citoyen « Make My Administration » organisé par le Médiateur fédéral les 22 et 23 septembre derniers au Sénat. Ce 3 octobre, ils ont officiellement remis leurs recommandations à des politiques et hauts fonctionnaires.

On behalf of the European Region of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) the Office of the National Ombudsman of the Netherlands will hold two “poldershops” in November 2018 (one on the new EU data protection regulation and one on communication). A few places are still available and you are invited to register online.

The African Ombudsman and Mediator Association (AOMA) presents the 10th Issue of “African Ombudsman Today”. The regular newsletter from the African continent can now also be downloaded from the IOI website.

In September Ombudsman Peter Tyndall led a series of “outreach” events in Drogheda, County Louth in the north east of Ireland. The event was part of the Ombudsman's outreach programme which also involves monthly visits to Cork, Galway and Limerick. The Ombudsman team received 31 complaints from the Louth public at its “complaints clinic” in Drogheda, on Thursday 27 September. 

The new Seimas Ombudswoman Milda Vainiutė, who swore an oath at the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania on 26 September, started her duties at the office on Friday, 28 September. There are two Seimas Ombudsmen in Lithuania appointed for the term of five years upon the nomination of the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.