58 complaints made to Ombudsman about public services in Westmeath

A total number of 58 complaints (1.45%) were made about public services in Westmeath to the Ombudsman in 2021.

In Roscommon, 48 complaints (1.20%) were made about various public services provided by government departments, local authorities and the HSE.

There was a 45% increase in complaints made about local authorities last year. The Ombudsman received a record 4,004 complaints in 2021 which was a 17% increase on the previous year.

Speaking at the publication of the annual report for 2021 recently, Ombudsman Ger Deering said that complaints about local authorities accounted for the largest proportion of the increase, with 1,290 complaints, an increase of 45% on 2020. Complaints mainly related to housing and planning issues.

There was a 26% increase in complaints about the Health sector (up to 796) which includes the HSE, public hospitals and Tusla. 325 complaints related to HSE services, including 105 complaints about Primary and Community care, and 56 about the Treatment Abroad and Cross Border Directive schemes. Tusla was the subject of 118 complaints to the Ombudsman.

Complaints about Government Departments and Offices were down 12% on 2020 (1,066). The highest number of complaints was about the Department of Social Protection (579) but this was down from 735 in 2020.

Last year saw a decrease in complaints received about the Department of Social Protection. The majority of complaints were about payments available from the Department. 65 complaints were received about Disability Allowance, 62 complaints about Job Seeker’s Allowance and 58 complaints about Covid related payments.

There was a notable increase in complaints about the Department of Foreign Affairs, which corresponded to difficulties with first-time passport applications. Complaints about Regulatory Bodies and Private Nursing Homes increased by over 50%. Complaints about bodies in the Direct Provision sector also rose by almost 50%.

The Ombudsman criticised the Passport Service of the Department of Foreign Affairs. There was a significant increase in complaints about the Department to the Ombudsman in 2021– the bulk of which related to delays in processing first-time passport applications. The Ombudsman said that he understands that the Passport Service was put under pressure due to the pandemic and surge in applications following Brexit. However, he said that such delays were not acceptable and that the experience of 2021 should not be repeated.

The Ombudsman’s Office completed 3,961 complaints in 2021 (a 13% increase on 2020), and responded to 6,125 enquiries, an increase of 65% on 2020. However, 75% of complaints were examined within three months or less.

The Ombudsman’s annual report for 2021 is available at ombudsman.ie/publications/annual-reports