FINLAND | Complaints resolved and received by the Ombudsman set new records

Not one complaint had been pending for longer than a year at the office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland at the end of 2013. The number of incoming complaints during the year was again a record, over 5,000.

Reducing the maximum time needed to deal with a complaint to one year has been a long-term goal of the Ombudsman. The last time it was achieved was 20 years ago. The Ombudsman then was Jacob Söderman and the Deputy-Ombudsman Pirkko K. Koskinen.

A factor that contributed to making resolution of complaints more efficient was a legislative amendment that entered into force in 2011 and broadened the Ombudsman's discretionary power in the investigation of complaints. In addition, the amended legislation reduced the expiry period for complaints to two years and made it possible to transfer them to other competent authorities.

The amended legislation has enabled resources to be apportioned more purposefully to matters in which the Ombudsman can help the complainant or otherwise take measures.

Number of complaints received another new record

Once again, the number of complaints received by the Ombudsman for investigation was a new record, over 5,000, which is over 700 more than in the previous year.

The Ombudsman also issued decisions on a record number, nearly 5,300, of complaints last year and on over 70 cases investigated on his own initiative. The number of decisions issued was about 250 greater than the number of complaints received and about 650 more than in the previous year.

The past ten years have seen the number of incoming complaints nearly double.

Police and social welfare categories still heading the table

Once again, about half of the complaints related to the biggest categories of matters: the police, social welfare, health care and the prison service. 

Nearly 900 complaints in each of the categories police and social welfare were resolved, about 600 in the health care category and over 400 relating to the prison service.

Over 800 complaint and matters investigated on the Ombudsman’s own initiative, i.e. 16% of all, led to him taking measures. Over 90 inspections were carried out during the year.

Source: Parliamentary Ombudsman, Finland