BackThe Spanish Ombudsman, Soledad Becerril, has presented a new service that enables members of the public to look up the status of their complaints on the Institution’s webpage.
This service, which is available for all the cases that commenced as of 1 January, makes it possible to keep track of the steps and dates of the inquiries being made by the Office, establish the government department or agency from which a reply is expected, and what the reply is.
The individual or individuals who approach the Office of the Ombudsman will find out how to gain access to their documents on the Institution’s webpage using their own password, wherever they may be and at any time of day.
Communications between the Office and public bodies are not accessible as they are subject to the duty of confidence laid down by the Organic Law that regulates the functioning of the Institution (section 22.2 OL 3/1981, of 6 April).
Information conveyed in this manner will call for an effort on the part of all the government departments and agencies, including the Office of the Ombudsman to provide clear information in reasonable time about the matter that a person is asking about.
With this service, the Institution goes one step further in its defence of transparency. The Office of the Ombudsman has been a pioneer in this regard and has applied the criteria established by the organisation Transparency International to its web site. Accordingly, it includes a section giving details of the budget management of the Institution, contracts, agreements and official trips.
The Institution has the telephone line 91/ 432 79 00 for attending to any queries that individuals may have regarding their complaints.
Source: Defensor del Pueblo, SPAIN
