Significant increase in Cork complaints to the ombudsman during 2023

The Office of the Ombudsman received 455 complaints about public services from people living in Cork county last year, marking a significant increase on the previous 12 months.

In 2022, the office received 345 complaints from people in the county.

In his annual report for 2023, the Ombudsman, Ger Deering, said that among the 455 reports made about public services in Cork, 152 complaints were about Cork City Council, while there were 13 complaints made about Cork University Hospital and nine about University College Cork.

Nationally, the Ombudsman received 4,465 reports about public services in 2023, with complaints in recent years up 30% since 2020, when the office received 3,418 reports.

The highest number of complaints, 1,430, was about city and county councils, with 189 complaints made against Dublin City Council and 152 against Cork City Council.

Some 1,175 complaints were made about government departments, with the Department of Social Protection being the subject of 636 complaints.

Public bodies

There were 839 complaints to the Ombudsman about public bodies in the health and social care sector, including 674 about HSE services and 134 about Tusla.

The remaining complaints were about publicly-funded bodies in other sectors, including regulators, third-level education bodies and private nursing homes.

Among the cases outlined in the Ombudsman’s report is of a man who was not fully informed of his pension entitlements by the Department of Social Protection and, as a result, he missed out on pension payments of €46,000 over four years.

This year marks 40 years of the Office of the Ombudsman, which deals with complaints about most public bodies including local authorities, government departments, the HSE and voluntary hospitals.

Democracy

Speaking on the publication of the 2023 report, Mr Deering highlighted the importance of the office and said its establishment in 1984 had been an important step in strengthening democracy in Ireland.

“Now, as human rights and democracy are under attack globally, the role of the Ombudsman is more necessary and relevant than ever.

“We remain determined to continue to improve the quality of public services and ensure everyone’s right to be treated with respect and dignity,” Mr Deering said.

See https://www.ombudsman.ie.