On Thursday 15 January 2026 Ombudsman Ger Deering and Chair of the County and City Management Association’s Corporate and Emergency Planning Committee and Chief Executive of Meath County Council, Kieran Kehoe launched a new standardised complaints handling policy and procedure for local authorities across Ireland.

Staff from the Ombudsman’s Office have been working with the CCMA to develop the policy which will see a uniform approach to complaint handling across the local authority sector.

The policy sets out a simple process for making and managing complaints, with an emphasis on achieving the best possible outcome between the public and the relevant local authority. Complaints will continue to be managed by each local authority, but the common policy will enable a consistent approach across all local authorities, supporting the resolution of complaints in a timely and fair manner.

Ombudsman Ger Deering said:

“A robust complaints process is an important way for people to hold public services to account. This policy will support a clear and consistent approach for managing and addressing complaints across all local authorities. It will help to strengthen engagement between the public and councils and provide opportunities for learning that lead to better services. I commend the CCMA and the local government sector for their proactive approach to introducing this standardised policy.”

Chair of the CCMA Corporate and Emergency Planning Committee and Chief Executive of Meath County Council Kieran Kehoe said:

“We would like to thank the Ombudsman’s Office for their support in developing this policy. Their insights into the complainants’ perspective were invaluable.”

The Complaint Handling Policy and Procedure template has been circulated to all 31 local authorities and will be implemented by local authorities throughout 2026.

The Local Authority’s Complaint Handling Policy and Procedure is available on the Guidance page on our website.

The New Year has brought good news for foreigners holding a so-called non-dual employee card. If they are registered with the Employment Office, they are now entitled to public health insurance paid by the state. Foreigners with dual employee cards gained this entitlement earlier. The Ombudsman advocated for equal treatment of holders of both types of employee cards.

From January 1, the difference in how health insurance is paid for foreigners registered with the Employment Office has been eliminated. Whether they hold a dual or non-dual employee card, in both cases their health insurance is now covered by the state. The negotiations with the Ministry of Health that led to this change were initiated by Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček.

"The Ministry of Health, and health insurance companies in particular, must treat foreigners seeking employment equally—regardless of the type of employee card they hold. This follows from binding European Union legislation. I appreciate that the Ministry supported my position and quickly negotiated the practical arrangements with the insurance companies,” said Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček.

Referring to cases of foreigners with employee cards who were registered with the Employment Office after losing their jobs, Křeček added: "In accordance with the interpretation of EU law, they received unemployment benefits. However, they were surprised to find that they did not have health insurance. I reviewed the entire situation and concluded that their insurance should be paid for by the state."

No día de onte, a valedora do pobo Dolores Fernandez Galiño e a asesora da institución Mar Barcón deron unha charla no Instituto de Educación Secundaria Enrique Muruais da Pontevova enmarcada no programa Edu Referentes da Asociación Executivas de Galicia, que pretende mostrar referentes femininos que sirvan como exemplos para as xeracións novas na súa actividade profesional, para que se dea visibilidade ás numerosas mulleres profesionais galegas que son referentes nos seus respectivos sectores.