The Public Administration annually issues a report detailing the governance action taken by ministries and entities to resolve concerns raised by the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Commissioners forming part of his office. This year’s Governance Action report on Ombudsman cases will be issued in the coming days!
The new report deals with cases referred by the Ombudsman to the Public Administration during 2023, as well as cases which remained unresolved from previous years. During 2023, the Ombudsman has referred 350 new cases. 292 cases (83.5%) have been closed, while 46 cases (13.1%) are pending. By promptly implementing the Ombudsman’s recommendations and suggestions, whenever possible, we aim to enhance transparency, equity, and timeliness in our processes while ensuring better service quality for the public.
A visual of the status of 2023 Ombudsman cases is in the main diagram. The data is correct as on October 31, 2024.
The Governance Action report on Ombudsman cases 2023 will be available soon on our website publicservice.gov.mt.
Last Thursday, an event organised by the Office of the Principal Permanent Secretary and titled “Insaħħu l-ħidma ta’ bejnietna” saw the attendance of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the Auditor General and Permanent Secretaries. As the event’s theme implies, the event focused on strengthening the current collaboration between the Public Administration and these two institutions of oversight to achieve higher levels of good governance in public service delivery, as well as to strengthen accountability.
These aims form a common vision embraced by the Public Administration, the Ombudsman and the Auditor General
These aims form a common vision embraced by the Public Administration, the Ombudsman and the Auditor General. This shared concept provides the ground for cooperation between all parties, resulting in a synergy of expertise, proposals, ideas, and resources – at times requiring input from multiple entities. Through this collaboration, and the valuable contribution provided by institutions of oversight, effective results for innovation and efficiency in the Public Administration are yielded, for the benefit of the public.
A continuous and rigorous exercise takes place leading to the publication of the Governance Action report on Ombudsman cases. Permanent structures are in place to ensure that timely action is taken to address Ombudsman cases and recommendations. Each ministry has a liaison officer who is the link between the Office of the Ombudsman and the department or entity to whom the case was referred. Another structure is the Governance Action Directorate which falls under the remit of the Office of the Principal Permanent Secretary. The small team within this Directorate is regularly in contact with liaison officers, providing guidance and training on the best approach to resolve an impasse, and on reporting standards and methods.
This year’s reporting and liaison processes with ministries have been streamlined through a dedicated digital system, which facilitates case tracking and documentation management, ensuring a more efficient and organised workflow. The system also serves as a document repository for all cases, together with an activity log providing an audit trail.
The governance action exercise fulfills two main functions: the first being an improvement mechanism and the second, an accountability tool. It emphasises the importance of simplifying processes and striking a balance between meeting public expectations and maintaining fair administrative practices. To achieve these aims, the Governance Action Directorate has engaged in numerous consultations with ministries and entities, with the assistance of the respective liaison officers, striving to implement optimal solutions by improving processes whenever necessary.
This year’s commendable results reflect the commitment and effort poured into this exercise by many public employees led by the respective Permanent Secretaries. This achievement would not be possible without the continuous cooperation by ministries and entities with the Office of the Ombudsman and the Governance Action Directorate. Their willingness and drive to implement improvements to their procedures and processes indicate an awareness of the necessity for continuously improving and evolving to effectively respond to the ever-changing needs of the public.