Download PDF File

Bermuda Ombudsman_Annual Report 2022_secure.pdf

The Office of the Ombudsman has sped up processing times for complaints made about public services.

Michael DeSilva, the Ombudsman, tabled the Ombudsman for Bermuda 2022 Annual Report in the House of Assembly this morning.

The office said: “During 2022, the staff reviewed their policies and procedures to consider what improvements could be made.

“They launched a strategic plan on April 1, 2023 to coincide with the new financial year. This four-year strategy includes plans to speed up the pace of casework and expand community outreach through social media and public appearances.

“A new case review process for 2023 has contributed to more timely progress of cases and faster resolutions. At the time of printing the report, 25 cases carried over to 2023 had been closed, and a further 25 were identified for closure by the end of July.”

The report highlights a collaboration with the Department of Corrections that established a memorandum of understanding formalising communication procedures. It aims to ensure that inmates have unrestricted access to the Ombudsman.

Mr DeSilva said: “Inmates are the only group of complainants who are explicitly mentioned in the Ombudsman Act 2004.

“Section 7(3) places a statutory obligation on both our office and the Department of Corrections to ensure confidentiality and timeliness for inmates who wish to make a complaint.

“This MOU represents our agencies’ commitment to that duty and should reassure inmates that their contact with our office is held in strict confidence.“

The office received 177 complaints and 36 inquiries, for a total of 213 cases in 2022. The previous five-year average is 242 cases — 170 complaints and 72 inquiries. A carry-over of 61 cases from 2021 brought this year’s total caseload to 274.

Of those cases, 65 per cent were either resolved, declined, referred or outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.

The remaining 35 per cent remained open at the start of 2023.

The report said the office continued to clear a backlog in cases.

It said: “We continue to work towards carrying over the fewest number of outstanding complaints possible at the end of each calendar year.

“We carried 96 cases into 2023, which is higher than normal.

“Our office has developed a plan to address this backlog and reduce that number by the end of 2023.

“As of May 24, 2023, 25 of the 96 carried over cases have been closed.

“We will continue to monitor and address the backlog with the intention of decreasing this number in the next reporting year.”

The report provides more details about the breakdown of cases and explanations for each type of disposition.

Mr DeSilva took up the role of Ombudsman on March 28, 2022. He is the third person to have assumed the position in the office’s 17-year history.

He said: “Ms Victoria Pearman and Ms Arlene Brock both served Bermuda as Ombudsman with great skill, personal commitment and passion for their work.

“They established the office as an independent and highly competent complaint-handling body. It is now my honour and privilege to hold this post and I aim to carry on the legacies of my accomplished predecessors.

“The mission of our office is to protect the public interest, address complaints about public services and drive greater accountability across the public sector.”

• To view the Ombudsman’s 2022 report, see “Related Media”