Si è svolta ad Alghero, nel pomeriggio di venerdì 20 giugno e nella mattinata di sabato 21 giugno 2025, la riunione del Coordinamento Nazionale dei Difensori Civici delle Regioni e delle Province Autonome italiane.

L’incontro, ospitato dal Difensore Civico della Regione Sardegna, Avv. Marco Enrico, ha rappresentato un momento di grande rilievo per rafforzare il dialogo e la cooperazione tra i diversi uffici regionali impegnati nella tutela dei diritti dei cittadini nei confronti della pubblica amministrazione.

Nel corso dei lavori, i membri del Coordinamento, insieme a funzionari dei rispettivi uffici, hanno affrontato un ordine del giorno ricco e articolato che ha incluso una riflessione sull’incontro tenutosi il 4 giugno a Roma con la Commissione nazionale per l’accesso, la trattazione ed esame delle problematiche territoriali emergenti e un confronto sulle principali criticità riscontrate a livello locale, l’aggiornamento sullo stato della redazione della Relazione annuale 2024 da parte del Comitato di redazione, la pianificazione del calendario delle prossime riunioni del Coordinamento, nonché questioni relative a procedure di armonizzazione dei vari uffici regionali riguardanti il tema dell’accesso agli atti e la mappatura dello stato dell’arte della difesa civica italiana.

Il Coordinamento ha inoltre avuto l’opportunità di incontrare il Sindaco di Alghero, Raimondo Cacciotto, il Vice Sindaco Francesco Marinaro e il Presidente del Consiglio Comunale, Beniamino Pirisi. L’accoglienza dell’Amministrazione Comunale è stata calorosa e istituzionalmente significativa, a testimonianza del ruolo della Difesa Civica come presidio di legalità, vicinanza ai cittadini e promotore di una pubblica amministrazione trasparente, accessibile e rispettosa dei diritti.

Significativo anche l’incontro avuto con il Magnifico Rettore dell’Università di Sassari il Prof. Gavino Mariotti.

Nella mattinata di sabato 21 giugno, presso la stessa sede della Fondazione Meta, si è tenuto l’evento pubblico dal titolo
“La Difesa Civica: tra l’accesso agli atti e i silenzi della pubblica amministrazione”, organizzato dal Difensore Civico della Regione Sardegna, alla presenza di autorevoli relatori.

L’incontro ha avuto inizio con la presentazione e gli obiettivi dell’evento a cura di Marco Enrico, Difensore Civico della Regione Sardegna. Sono intervenuti con i saluti istituzionali il Sindaco di Alghero, Dott. Raimondo Cacciotto, Dott. Marino Fardelli, Presidente del Coordinamento nazionale dei Difensori Civici italiani e Difensore Civico della Regione Lazio, Dott. Giuseppe Busia, Presidente dell’ANAC, e Avv. Gabriele Satta, Presidente del Consiglio dell’Ordine degli Avvocati di Sassari.

L’evento ha visto inoltre la partecipazione di due ospiti internazionali come Xavier Cañada Bonaetxea, Raonador del Ciutadà de Andorra e di Javier Hernández Garcia, già Lugarteniente del Justicia de Aragón (Spagna).

La tavola rotonda e il dibattito, moderati da Umberto Di Primio, Difensore Civico della Regione Abruzzo, hanno visto gli interventi di:

• Francesco Cozzi, Difensore Civico della Regione Liguria, sul tema “Il ruolo del Difensore Civico nella promozione dei diritti civili e nella difesa contro i silenzi della pubblica amministrazione”;

• Pietro Casu, Avvocato, con un contributo su “Trasparenza amministrativa ed accesso agli atti”;

• Chiara Spano, Avvocato, che ha approfondito “Il silenzio inadempimento della P.A. ed il reato di omissione d’atti d’ufficio”.

Le conclusioni sono state affidate ad Arrigo De Pauli, Difensore Civico della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia.

L’iniziativa ha offerto uno spazio prezioso di confronto tra istituzioni, esperti e cittadini, mettendo al centro i diritti di accesso, la trasparenza amministrativa e il contrasto all’inerzia della pubblica amministrazione.

«Sono particolarmente orgoglioso di aver ospitato questa importante riunione del Coordinamento Nazionale in Sardegna – ha commentato l’avv. Marco Enrico, Difensore Civico della Regione Sardegna – un momento di confronto prezioso per consolidare la collaborazione tra gli uffici di difesa civica di tutto il Paese. In un momento storico in cui i cittadini chiedono sempre più trasparenza e efficacia dall’amministrazione pubblica, il ruolo del Difensore Civico si conferma essenziale come garante dei diritti, promotore di accesso e contrasto ai silenzi burocratici. Continueremo a lavorare con determinazione per rafforzare questa funzione fondamentale, sempre più vicina alle esigenze delle comunità locali e all’innovazione delle procedure amministrative.»

Il Coordinamento Nazionale rinnova il proprio impegno a valorizzare e rafforzare la rete dei Difensori Civici, riaffermando l’importanza di un’azione condivisa, autorevole e autonoma a tutela dei diritti fondamentali e del buon andamento dell’amministrazione pubblica.

L'enquête sur l'accès aux droits est une série d'études menées par le Défenseur des droits pour identifier et mesurer les atteintes aux droits dans ses domaines d'intervention. Après une première édition en 2016, le Défenseur des droits renouvelle l'enquête en 2024 pour observer les évolutions.
Elle se compose de 5 volets. Le premier, publié le 23 juin 2025, est consacré aux forces de sécurité et permet de mieux comprendre les interactions entre la police et la population.

Contrôles d’identité, dépôts de plainte et confiance : quel état des lieux ?

L'enquête menée par le Défenseur des droits analyse les relations entre les forces de sécurité et la population en interrogeant deux moments d'interaction, les contrôles d'identité et les dépôts de plaintes et de mains courantes, et questionne la confiance accordée aux forces de sécurité.

Les enseignements

Ce que montre l’enquête :

• L'image des forces de l'ordre est très liée à la qualité des interactions avec les agents. Lorsque l'échange se passe mal, c'est la confiance dans la police ou la gendarmerie et plus largement dans l'ensemble des institutions qui s'en trouve dégradée. Au final, c'est le sentiment d'appartenance à la collectivité qui est altéré.
• La proportion de personnes ayant fait l’objet d’un contrôle d’identité a connu une forte augmentation entre 2016 et 2024. En 2016, 16 % des personnes interrogées déclaraient avoir été contrôlées au moins une fois sur les 5 dernières années. En 2024 elles sont 26%.
• Certains groupes sociaux restent surexposés au risque d’être contrôlés et d’être confrontés à des comportements non professionnels. Il s’agit notamment des jeunes perçus comme noirs, arabes ou maghrébins ou des personnes se déclarant non-hétérosexuelles.
• Pour la première fois, le Défenseur des droits s’interroge sur l’expérience lors des dépôts de plainte et de main courante. En ressort des pratiques contraires à la déontologie des forces de l’ordre. Ainsi, certains facteurs augmentent le risque d’être confronté à un refus de dépôt de plainte ou de main courante ou des comportements non professionnels : le port de signe religieux, le handicap et le fait d’être au chômage.

Les chiffres à retenir

L'enquête sur l'accès aux droits, une méthodologie solide pour un éclairage nécessaire

Au total, 5 030 personnes ont été interrogées par téléphone. La durée moyenne des entretiens était de 37 minutes.

L’enquête a été menée par l’institut de sondage Ipsos entre le 10 octobre 2024 et le 11 janvier 2025.

Le questionnaire

Le questionnaire de l’enquête collecte des informations habituelles sur le profil social et démographique des personnes (âge, sexe, niveau de diplôme, lieu de résidence, etc.) mais aussi des informations relatives à d’autres caractéristiques telles que l’origine (appréhendée par le pays de naissance, la nationalité des parents et l’origine perçue), la religion (auto-déclarée et perçue), l’orientation sexuelle, la situation de santé ou de handicap, afin de mieux caractériser les difficultés ou discriminations auxquelles sont confrontés certains groupes sociaux. Cette spécificité de l’enquête lui permet, dans une perspective intersectionnelle, d’articuler les différentes dimensions productrices de discriminations et d’inégalités. 

Afin de tester le questionnaire, la formulation et la compréhension des questions, leur enchaînement et la durée de passation, une enquête pilote a été préalablement réalisée en septembre 2024 auprès de 50 personnes

Les répondants

L’échantillon a été constitué de manière aléatoire pour pouvoir établir des estimateurs représentatifs de la population âgée de 18 à 79 ans résidant en France métropolitaine.

La sélection des individus a été réalisée à partir d’un sondage aléatoire à deux degrés, reposant sur : (1) la constitution d’une base de numéros de téléphones filaires et mobiles, correspondant à la population des ménages en France métropolitaine puis (2) le tirage au sort au sein des ménages, selon la méthode Kish, de la personne à interroger.

Les recommandations du Défenseur des droits 

Au regard des résultats de l’enquête de 2024, le Défenseur des droits émet des recommandations pour améliorer les relations entre les forces de sécurité et la population et le respect des règles de déontologie de la sécurité.

Sur les contrôles d’identité 

• Mettre en place un dispositif d’évaluation de la pratique des contrôles d’identité, de leur efficacité et de leur impact sur les relations avec la population et veiller à une publicité périodique des résultats obtenus.
• Modifier le cadre légal des contrôles d’identité, en précisant à l’article 78-2 du code de procédure pénale que
  • les contrôles d’identité ne doivent pas être fondés sur les critères de discrimination prévus par la loi ;
  • quel que soit le cadre juridique du contrôle effectué, le motif du choix de la personne contrôlée doit être objectivé et énoncé à la personne contrôlée, dans la mesure du possible.
• Encadrer la pratique des contrôles d’identité :
  • en formalisant une doctrine d’emploi relative aux conditions du recours aux contrôles d’identité et au déroulé du contrôle (notamment concernant le recours aux actes connexes, tels que les palpations de sécurité et les inspections visuelles) ;
  • en réaffirmant le rôle et les obligations de l’autorité hiérarchique directe dans l’encadrement des opérations et des pratiques professionnelles.
  • en renforçant l’encadrement de proximité et en organisant périodiquement des séances de retour d’expérience, en s’appuyant notamment sur les enregistrements issus des caméras-piétons.
• Renforcer les modules dédiés aux contrôles d’identité dans les formations initiales et continues des forces de l’ordre, en veillant à ce qu’ils soient effectivement suivis.
  • intégrer dans ces modules l’interdiction des comportements discriminatoires et les moyens d’améliorer les relations des agents de la force publique avec la population.
  • impliquer la hiérarchie pour qu’elle soit partie prenante d’un réel changement de culture dans l’institution ;
  • évaluer l’efficacité de ces modules de formation sur la conformité des pratiques professionnelles.
• Assurer la traçabilité des contrôles d’identité par tous moyens, lesquels pourraient être définis à la suite d’expérimentations, afin de garantir aux personnes contrôlées la possibilité d’exercer utilement un recours, notamment en cas d’allégation de discrimination.
• Garantir l’effectivité du contrôle du parquet sur les opérations de contrôles d’identité, en police judiciaire comme en police administrative, tel que préconisé par le ministère de la justice dans la dépêche du 6 mars 2017 (CRIM-PJ N° 05-28-H8) ; particulièrement concernant les contrôles d’identité réalisés sur réquisitions judiciaires :
  • au moment de la délivrance des réquisitions, pour vérifier la légalité et l’opportunité des opérations sollicitées ;
  • après la réalisation des opérations à partir du rapport devant être remis par le chef du service de police ou de l’unité de gendarmerie ayant procédé aux contrôles, lequel doit comporter « des précisions relatives au cadre juridique et aux modalités des contrôles, des informations statistiques et tout élément permettant à l’autorité judiciaire de s’assurer du caractère non discriminatoire de ces contrôles, à travers notamment la  présentation des critères ayant présidé au choix des personnes à contrôler ».
• Garantir l’effectivité des enquêtes et des réponses aux comportements discriminatoires
  • Garantir l’effectivité de l’enquête dès lors que les autorités compétentes, administratives et/ou judiciaires, sont saisies d’une plainte pour contrôle d’identité discriminatoire. Cela implique une indépendance de l’autorité enquêtrice ainsi qu’une célérité dans le recueil des preuves disponibles (identification des agents mis en cause, enregistrements vidéos des caméras-piétons, des caméras de surveillance, consultations des fichiers, rapports, témoignages…) pour vérifier l’allégation de discrimination ;
  • Réaffirmer le rôle de l’autorité hiérarchique dans la détection des signes laissant suspecter un risque de discrimination et leur devoir de remontrance à cet égard, ainsi que leur devoir de traiter sans tarder les discriminations établies par des réponses adaptées.
  • Renforcer le contrôle interne exercé par les inspections générales par un suivi détaillé du traitement des signalements relatifs aux contrôles d’identité afin de leur permettre une appréciation globale du respect de la déontologie des contrôles d’identité par les forces de l’ordre ;
  • Garantir l’effectivité du contrôle externe exercé par le Défenseur des droits :
    • En lui octroyant les moyens nécessaires ;
    • En lui garantissant l’accès à l’ensemble des éléments nécessaires à l’exécution de sa mission ;
    • En portant toute l’attention nécessaire à ses saisines de l’autorité investie du pouvoir d’engager les poursuites disciplinaires, en répondant à celles-ci, et en motivant les éventuelles décisions subséquentes de ne pas engager de poursuite disciplinaire.

Sur l’accueil en police ou gendarmerie

Garantir un accès équitable et de qualité au service public policier, notamment par :

• Le renforcement de la formation initiale et continue des agents à l’accueil et à la prise en charge des publics, notamment les plus vulnérables, et la valorisation de cette mission d’accueil par l’institution ;
• La mise en place des moyens matériels et humains nécessaires à la garantie d’un accès effectif et sans discrimination au service public de la police ;
• Le développement de dispositifs d'évaluation et de suivi pour garantir une qualité d'accueil homogène sur l'ensemble du territoire. 

Le Défenseur des droits rappelle que l’accès de tous au service public de la police et de la gendarmerie est un enjeu fondamental d’égalité et de respect des droits fondamentaux.

El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, se ha reunido este jueves en la sede de la institución con el embajador de Suiza en España, Hanspeter Mock.

Ambos han abordado asuntos relativos a la defensa de los derechos y libertades ciudadanas y han conversado sobre la labor del Defensor del Pueblo y sobre la actualidad nacional e internacional. El embajador Mock dejará próximamente la Embajada en España para incorporarse a un nuevo destino diplomático.

Cathaoirleach and members of the Committee, I am pleased to have the opportunity today to present the Ombudsman Annual Report for 2023 and 2024 along with my colleague Siobhan O’Donoghue.

2024 marked the 40th anniversary of the Office of the Ombudsman and so last year presented an excellent opportunity to take stock of the work, the achievements, and indeed the development of this Office, over the last 40 years.

Since its establishment, the Office of the Ombudsman has been to the fore in delivering social change by promoting fairness and inclusion and delivering improvements in the delivery of public services. We have dealt with a broad range of matters relating to the everyday lives and indeed deaths of citizens and people living in Ireland. The Office has been to the forefront in challenging biases, improper discrimination and inappropriate attitudes. Some of these challenges are as great today as they were at any time in the last 40 years.

The impact of the Office since its establishment has been impressive and extensive. The complaints and issues we deal with are a microcosm of our broader society. We have addressed and rectified a broad range of unfairness and exclusion.

Complaints breakdown

I will turn now to the specific work undertaken by my Office in 2023 and 2024. I spoke to you last year about our outreach programme aimed at increasing awareness across all areas of society about who we are, what we do and how people can reach us. We do this through national and local media, regional complaint clinics, Public Participation Networks, and engagement with community, voluntary and social inclusion groups. I believe the success of this outreach is evidenced by the ever-increasing number of complaints and enquiries we are receiving.

In 2023, my Office received 4,465 complaints which increased to 4,778 in 2024, representing 7% increase. In 2023 we responded to 8,171 enquiries which increased to 8,890 in 2024, representing an almost 9% increase. As I have voiced previously to this committee, I see these figures not just as engagements with the public, but as efforts from my staff to help and assist – some 13,500 people in total in 2024.

I will now outline the specific numbers of complaints in each sector in 2023 and 2024:

• Local Authority complaints accounted for the highest proportion of complaints received by my Office in both years. I accept that this sector encapsulates a wide range of areas, including housing, planning and road related complaints. With the ongoing housing issues which have and continue to impact on every aspect of our society it is not surprising that housing complaints made up approximately 60% of all Local Authority complaints in both years.

This is why I published an own initiative investigation report focused on the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme (HAP) earlier this month, which I will speak more on later. We have also developed a Model Complaint Handling Procedure, specifically for use by Local Authorities and we are currently engaging with the Local Government Management Agency to ensure its successful role out and implementation across all local authorities, with a view to improving the consistency of the service the public receives from Local Authorities.

• The Sector that received the second highest number of complaints in both 2023 and 2024 was Government Departments and Offices with 1397 complaints received in 2024. This sector includes, among others, complaints about the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Foreign Affairs, who both have high volumes of transaction. Both Departments accounted for the largest number of complaints in this sector.

• The sector that had the third highest number of complaints in both years related to health and social care. 839 complaints were received in this sector in 2023, increasing to 887 in 2024. These figures primarily comprise complaints about public hospitals with 141 complaints concerning Tusla.

In 2024, we completed our engagement with the HSE on our “In Sickness and in Debt” report, which detailed our investigation into the administration, by the HSE, of schemes that fund necessary medical treatment in the EU/EEA or the UK. It is fair to say, both the report and its subsequent implementation have been a success.

Patients who were previously denied payments due to bureaucratic issues have now received reimbursements. Patients have now been provided with access to a meaningful appeals process, which in some cases, has led to an increased reimbursement, and we have also seen patients who borrowed from family members, to pay for the treatment, receive reimbursements.

I again commend the co-operation of the HSE with this report, with all recommendations accepted and the 18 falling within the responsibility of the HSE fully implemented. I see this as a blueprint for positive engagement with our Office, one which I hope to replicate in future reports.

I also want to take this opportunity to note the renewed focus that my Office placed upon our role under the Disability Act last year. Under that Act, we can investigate inquiry officer’s reports on complaints made to public bodies under section 38 of the Disability Act, primarily concerning access to buildings and services for those with disabilities. We have developed a new and bespoke Disability Act Complaint form which can now be accessed directly from the home page of our website. We took this step, not just to enhance and improve our own accessibility, but also to make it easier for those who work in the disability sector to signpost our office and to highlight the role we can play in assisting the people they support and engage with on a daily basis.

Follow up on previous reports

As I mentioned at the outset, my predecessors undertook a number of important investigations which culminated in various reports and recommendations, and I have tried to ensure that the good work done will continue until real change is achieved.

Wasted Lives

“Wasted Lives” was a report published by this Office in May 2021 on foot of a systemic investigation into the appropriateness of the placement of people under 65 in private and public nursing homes. The report made a series of findings and recommendations, covering a wide range of issues. These recommendations were accepted by the HSE. However, progress has not been as expected or hoped.

I published an update on this report in September 2024 and I have since received further updates from the HSE. While the programme has successfully transitioned over 101 people to more suitable accommodation, ultimately, the progress made had been slow. Very importantly the programme also helped to improve the lives of some who could not transition out of the nursing home system, through the Enhanced Quality of Life Supports (EQLS) element of the programme. I also noted that a lot of the good work was done in this programme establishing a strong framework to operate consistently moving forward. However most regrettably and frustratingly, the good preparatory work which has been done may be somewhat in vain as I was informed that the programme could falter, both this year and in the future, without appropriate ring-fenced funding. Lack of such funding means that many of those identified for moves to more suitable accommodation will not be able to do so. Whilst a relatively small amount of general funding was available at the beginning of 2025 this funding was committed to specific transfers by the end of quarter one. No specific funding was provided for EQLS at all in 2025. These are major setbacks, for the people concerned, for their families, and for those who have worked hard on the ground to make progress in this area.

As I noted in my Annual Report, it is completely unacceptable that this excellent programme, which brought hope and independence to people with disabilities, has an uncertain future because of lack of dedicated funding. Lack of funding is simply no reason at all to keep these people living inappropriately in nursing homes. A commitment from Government to ensure sustainable and annual funding for this programme, and the EQLS, is therefore essential.

Grounded

Last year, I also provided an update to you on the “Grounded” report, regarding the lack of access to transport for people with disabilities.

By way of background, as far back as 2012, then Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly published the results of her investigation into the Motorised Transport Grant, finding that the interpretation of the medical criteria for eligibility for the scheme was unacceptably restrictive and contrary to equal status legislation. The Government decided to close the Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant schemes to new applicants in 2013. Both these actions were taken as interim measures. Since then a separate scheme - the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (DDDP) scheme became the only scheme available that could potentially provide support in this area. Sadly, the excessively restrictive nature of this scheme rendered it unfit for purpose.

My predecessor Peter Tyndall published the ‘Grounded’ report in 2021 which outlined our investigations into the three transport support schemes – the two mentioned earlier and the Mobility Allowance. Grounded highlighted the collective unfairness and inequity of these schemes. In my annual report for 2022, I expressed my concern that people with disabilities continue to be denied access to personal transports supports. Following this the then Taoiseach established a working group.

I have met a number of times with the Department of An Taoiseach seeking to progress the matter and I will continue to be consistent in the message that has come from this Office for well over a decade now, we need fair, functional and flexible transport schemes for people with disabilities.

I recently received an update from the Department of the Taoiseach that its working group has proposed that a new grant-based scheme be developed and led by the Department of Transport. I am also informed that the Department of Transport is beginning the development of this new scheme. It is a welcome development that, at last, a Government Department has been allocated responsibility for this very important matter. I would like to thank the Department of the Taoiseach for finally progressing this matter.

I am cautiously optimistic that we may now see genuine progress. However, my team and I will continue to engage with the Department of Transport to ensure that a focus remains on developing and implementing this new scheme.

HAP Report

We have just completed an investigation into the administration of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, an investigation prompted by a housing issues workshop we help with NGOs, and the complaints we had received about the HAP scheme at that time.

My team carried out extensive research into the operation of the HAP scheme. They surveyed local authorities, holding in-depth consultation with seven of them, the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and the HAP Shared Services Centre. They also consulted with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, representative bodies, civil society organisations and took account of issues raised by HAP tenants and landlords themselves.

The report was published earlier this month containing recommendations aimed at reducing inefficiencies in the system, addressing the inequalities between HAP tenants and social housing tenants, and ensuring that vulnerable applicants are appropriately supported. I look forward to working with the Department of Housing to ensure that the recommendations are implemented with a view to making real improvements in the area of housing, for those who are reliant on this scheme.

Conclusion

To conclude, I will return to where I began, this Office’s 40-year anniversary last year. I mentioned to this committee last year that we had a number of actions planned to mark this important milestone.

President Michael D. Higgins hosted our staff at Áras an Uachtaráin to mark the occasion, with the President himself acknowledging the profound and positive transformations that this Office has brought about in the times since its establishment. In support of the diversity of our communities, we hosted ambassadors and representatives from more than 40 different countries at an event highlighting the role of the Ombudsman and encouraging them to ensure that their citizens, who reside here in Ireland, are aware of the services the Ombudsman offers. We also participated at last year’s PRIDE festival which had a strong theme relating to pride at work. We saw this as the perfect opportunity to highlight our role and our compatibility with the message of inclusion that Pride embodies.

In other actions, we developed and published a guidance - ‘Human Rights: A guide for Ombudsman staff when investigating complaints’, which also seeks to increase awareness and use of the human rights framework throughout the public service. We also compiled a commemorative book, containing case studies and reports for every year that the Office has operated since 1984.

In December last year, we welcomed previous holders of the Office of Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly and Peter Tyndall, and both our current and former staff to an event, to reflect on the history and transformation of the Office over recent decades. There was a collective understanding in the room that the work we do is important and must continue and endure each year, as vigorously as in the past.

I want to acknowledge the work of my predecessors, and the former and current directors general and staff of the Office for the positive changes achieved last year and for each of the last 40 years. We are committed to continuing to bring about positive developments. We will also continue to pursue, with vigour, Government and public bodies to ensure maximum access to public services that are delivered to the highest possible standards, particularly to the most vulnerable in our society.

I would like to thank you, Cathaoirleach and members for this opportunity and for your interest and support for our work.

I am happy to take any questions you may have for me.

____________________

Ger Deering

Ombudsman

On Thursday, 19 June 2025, the Parliament (Saeima) voted to dismiss Juris Jansons from the office of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia.

Juris Jansons has been performing the duties of the Ombudsman since 17 March 2011. On 14 June 2025, Juris Jansons submitted a notification to the Presidium of the Saeima (Parliament) on his resignation from the office of the Ombudsman at his own request. On 18 June 2025, the Human Rights and Public Affairs Parliamentary Committee considered and supported the draft decision on the dismissal of Juris Jansons from the office of the Ombudsman.

The achievements of the Ombudsman’s Office during the term of office of Juris Jansons can be found in the Ombudsman’s annual reports, which, according to the law, must be submitted at least once a year to the President and the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia.

The Ombudsman’s Office will continue to perform all functions and tasks specified in the Ombudsman Law under the leadership of Deputy Ombudsman Ineta Piļāne until the Parliament approves a new Ombudsman. This procedure is determined by Section 16 part 3 of the Ombudsman Law.