Ombudsman Ombudsman Misty Mountain Hop Category="Ombudsman"An ombudsman is an official, usually but not always appointed by the government, who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individual citizens. The term arose from its use in Sweden, with the Parliamentary ombudsman instituted in 1809 to safeguard the rights of citizens by establishing a supervisory agency independent of the executive branch. The word ombudsman and its specific meaning has since been adopted in to English as well as other languages, and ombudsmen has been instituted by other governments and organizations such as the European Union.

The origin of the word is found in Old Norse and the word umbuds man, meaning representative. The first preserved use in Swedish is from 1552. It is also used in the other Scandinavian languages such as the Icelandic "umbošsmašur", the Norwegian "ombudsmann" and the Danish "ombudsmand".

An ombudsman doesn't have to be appointed by government; they may work for a corporation, a newspaper, an NGO, or even for the general public. Such an ombudsman obviously does not carry any governmental powers or sanction abilities.

Government ombudsmen

Sweden

In 1713 King Charles XII of Sweden, preoccupied with fighting the Great Northern War, was residing in Bendery and had not set foot in Sweden in over a decade. In order to reestablish the domestic administration, which had fallen into disarray, he instituted the office of His Majesty's Supreme Ombudsman. The role of the King's Ombudsman was to ensure that judges and public officials acted in accordance with the laws, proficiently discharged their tasks, and if not he could initiate legal proceedings for dereliction of duty.

The autocratic rule of Gustav III of Sweden, that ended half a century of parliamentary supremacy in 1772, prompted the Riksdag of the Estates to institute an Ombudsman who was independent of the executive power when his son Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden was deposed in 1809. The King's Ombudsman, who in 1719 had been given a new title; Chancellor of Justice, was to be accompanied by a Parliamentary Ombudsman. The office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman was established by the Instrument of Government of 1809 and its role preserved in the new Instrument of Government in 1974.

Apart from this there are also a number of more specialized ombudsmen that operate under the authority of the Government of Sweden:

The Director-General of the Swedish Consumer Agency is also designated as a Consumer Ombudsman.

Czech Republic

The Czech Ombusdman is known as Veřejnż ochrįnce prįv (Public Defender of Rights)..

European Union

The European Ombudsman was established by the Maastricht Treaty, the treaty establishing the European Union. The current European Ombudsman, holding office since 1 April 2003, is P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, former national ombudsman of Greece.

Finland

In Finland the office of Parliamentary Ombudsman, modelled after the Swedish Ombudsman, was established by the Constitution of 1919. The Ombudsman is appointed by the Parliament, and has the task of ensuring that all government departments and officials follow the law. The Parliamentary Ombudsman shares many duties with the Chancellor of Justice.

There are also special ombudsmen for gender equality, children's welfare, rights of ethnic minorities, and consumer protection, operating under the auspices of various ministries and other government agencies. Also, every health care provider in Finland is legally obliged to have a patients' rights ombudsman.

Greece

The Greek Ombudsman is called Citizen's Advocate and is an Independent Authority. Currently, the Citizen's Advocate is Prof. Georgios Kaminis. The Advocate is assisted by five Assistant Advocates, which coordinate the activities of the Advocate's office in the five "theme circles" (areas) in which the office has authority: i) civil rights, ii) social protection, iii) quality of life, iv) state-citizen relationships and v) children's rights.

Iceland

The post of umbošsmašur Alžingis was set up under the terms of law number 13/1987 in 1987, dealing with complaints against the government. In 1997 law number 85/1997 his authority was expanded to local government levels. The Ombudsman is appointed by Alžingi.

Ireland

The Office of Ombudsman was set up under the terms of The Ombudsman Act, 1980. The Ombudsman, who is appointed by the President of Ireland upon the nomination of both Houses of the Oireachtas, deals with complaints against Government Departments, local authorities, health boards and An Post.

New Zealand

The post of Ombudsman was established in New Zealand in 1962, with the aegis of investigation of complaints against government departments. In 1975 the post was expanded, with a Chief Ombudsman and several (number unspecified) of other ombudsmen.

Philippines

The Office of the Ombudsman of the Philippines is empowered by the 1987 Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas to safeguard the government and government-related institutions and corporations from corruption and dispense justice in the case of such offenses.

Poland

Polish Ombudsman is called the Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich.

Romania

The Romanian Ombusdman is known as Avocatul Poporului' (People's Advocate).

Spain

The Spanish laws translate "ombudsman" as defensor del pueblo ("People's defender"). There is a general Defensor del Pueblo for issues with the Spanish administration, and regional ones for the Autonomous communities of Spain, for instance:

The Spanish Defensor can start processes at the Constitutional Court.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom a post of Ombudsman is attached to the Westminster Parliament with additional posts at the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and other government institutions.

List of all Ombudsman in the United Kingdom

Estate Agents Ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman Service, Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme for the Isle of Man, Health Service Ombudsman - England, Health Service Ombudsman - Wales, Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS), Independent Police Complaints Commission, Legal Services Ombudsman, Local Government Ombudsman - England, Local Government Ombudsman - Wales , Northern Ireland Ombudsman, Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, Parliamentary Ombudsman, Welsh Administration Ombudsman , Pensions Ombudsman, Removals Industry Ombudsman Scheme, Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, Telecommunications Ombudsman (OTELO)

United States

The US Navy implemented an ombudsmen program in 1970 under direction of Admiral Elmo Zumwalt. Through the Navy Ombudsman Program, communication between the spouses of active duty and the command is kept open, thereby improving the quality of life for everyone involved. The Navy command ombudsman is a volunteer position, with no special favors bestowed upon them. The purpose of this program is to ensure the dependents of active duty military have a channel of resources for their needs and quality of life. A command ombudsman can guide you to the help you may need, before, during or after a deployment. The Navy Ombudsman undergoes almost constant training, and is bound by confidentiality in most cases, the exception being any hint of child abuse. An ombudsman meets with department heads aboard a naval installation to find out the latest news, and pass it on, including news on ship deployments, cutting down on potentially harmful gossip.

Non-governmental ombudsmen

Many private companies also have an ombudsman (or a ombudsman department). Like the government official, they receive complaints and resolve them. Though they are not legally independent, they are part of a company's Customer service strategy. Some companies treat their ombudsman very seriously and the ombudsman is very independent.

Newspaper ombudsman are especially valuable to newspapers by promoting journalistic integrity to their readers. There is an international Organization of News Ombudsmen. The press in Sweden is self-regulated through the Public Press Ombudsman (Allmänhetens Pressombudsman) and the Swedish Press Council (Pressens Opinionsnämnd).

See also

External links

Governmental ombudsmen

Australian government ombudsmen

Canadian government ombudsmen

Chilean ombudsman

Czech government ombudsman

European Parliament Ombudsman

New Zealand government ombudsmen

Philippine government ombudsman

Swedish government ombudsmen

Ukrainian government ombudsman

United Kingdom government ombudsmen

United States government ombudsmen

Non-governmental ombudsmen

Ombudsman associations

Ombudsman directories