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19th Ombudsman’s Awards Presentation Ceremony
On 29 October 2015, Hong Kong Ombudsman Connie Lau, announced at the 19th Ombudsman’s Awards Presentation Ceremony that the Immigration Department (ImmD) has won this year’s Grand Award, while the Correctional Services Department (CSD) and the Legal Aid Department (LAD) are the runners-up. Individual awards were given to 50 public officers for their outstanding performance in providing quality customer service. More than 200 guests from various government departments and public organisations attended the annual presentation ceremony.
Ms Lau said, “Our investigations serve positive purposes and functions for our society. In some instances, it can be said that our investigations vindicate departments and organisations under complaint, such as proving that there is no maladministration in their decisions and actions. Where inadequacies are found, we will recommend effective improvement measures for the organisations to avoid recurrence of complaints.”
ImmD, the winner of the Grand Award this year, adheres strictly to its performance pledge and demonstrates professionalism in handling public complaintsand fostering a positive culture in regard to complaints. To assist the Office of The Ombudsman’s investigation, ImmD has always provided clear and comprehensive information. It readily introduces remedial measures and apologises to complainants in a timely manner whenever a mistake is detected. To date, ImmD officers have received The Ombudsman’s individual awards for 17 years in a row. Their excellent service culture and consistently outstanding performance are exemplary among government departments and this makes ImmD a deserving winner of the Grand Award.
The other two winning organisations, the CSD and the LAD, have also adopted a positive and co-operative attitude towards the Office’s investigations, giving timely and comprehensive replies to expedite the processing of complaint cases.
At the ceremony, Ms Lau recognised the contributions made by the public officers who received individual awards. “By exerting positive influence through their work, they have not only offered better service to the public, but also brought pride to their departments and organisations,” she noted. A full list of the awardees this year is in the Appendix.
The Ombudsman’s Awards Scheme was introduced in 1997. In 1999, the Scheme was extended to honour individual public officers. In 2011, the scope of the Awards was further extended to recognise public officers’ efforts in handling enquiries and complaints relating to the Code on Access to Information.
Source: Office of The Ombudsman Hong Kong, China
