L'istituzione del difensore civico non è presente in tutte le Regioni e le sue caratteristiche, laddove sia stata prevista, appaiono piuttosto differenti . E' questo il quadro delineato dalla relazione 2013 messa a punto dl coordinamento nazionale dei difensori civici delle Regioni, presentato il 2 ottobre alla Camera.
Gli statuti di molte Regioni prevedono il Difensore civico, in altre invece e nelle Provincie Autonome di Trento e Bolzano si prevede la figura del Difensore civico in base ad una legge apposita ma non è organo di garanzia introdotto negli statuti fondativi. In molte Regioni, poi, il Difensore civico non ha neppure un capitolo di bilancio e le dotazioni di personale sono molto diverse.

Volksanwalt Peter Fichtenbauer nimmt die mediale Kritik  an der „Verflüchtigung" des Buches aus dem Deutschunterricht zum Anlass, ein amtswegiges Prüfverfahren einzuleiten. „Ich habe die zuständige Bundesministerin für Bildung und Frauen um Stellungnahme ersucht, welche Maßnahmen sie zu ergreifen gedenkt, um das völlige Verschwinden des Literaturunterrichts zu verhindern", so Fichtenbauer.

Aufgrund der seit diesem Schuljahr für alle Gymnasien verbindlichen Prinzipien der neuen Zentralmatura sei die Behandlung der Literatur im Deutschunterricht nicht mehr zentral. Literaturgeschichtliche Fragen sind nach der neuen Matura untersagt, die bisher verbindliche Leseliste von literarischen Werken wurde abgeschafft. Für Fichtenbauer eine alarmierende Entwicklung: „Literarische Texte können nicht durch Leserbriefe, Roman-Bruchstücke oder Gebrauchsanweisungen ersetzt werden. Ich ersuche daher die zuständige Ministerin dafür zu sorgen, dass die Prinzipien der neuen Zentralmatura keinesfalls zu Lasten der Qualität des Deutschunterrichts gehen", schließt Fichtenbauer.

enOur investigation report highlights how councils should operate a fair and accessible school transport review process.

Two Derbyshire sisters unfairly lost the funding for their school bus passes when they moved house within the same village, an investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has found.

The sisters, who attended a faith primary school in a neighbouring village, had been eligible for help getting to school. But when they moved home, the county council told their parents they would now have to pay - despite getting the same bus, from the same bus stop.

Derbyshire County Council said that although the family told the girls’ school about the change in address, this information was not passed to County Hall. When the council became aware of the move it wrote to the family telling them they now had to pay for their bus passes. This was because the council’s school transport policy said the family would now be treated as new applicants for funding.

The family appealed the decision but the council did not take on board the family’s financial circumstances and the impact the situation would have on the family’s budget. The council continued to send the family invoices for the transport despite their situation being under review.

Our investigation also found that presentation of the council’s school transport policy was confusing. Information on entitlement to faith school transport and how it can be lost is included in the council’s guide to school admissions but it is not included in the council’s detailed policy document on school transport.

Dr Jane Martin, Local Government Ombudsman, said:

“This report demonstrates the need for councils to have a fair approach to reviewing school transport decisions. In this case, there was no evidence the council considered whether the family’s move was deemed a significant change, and its policy affected the review panel’s ability to use its discretion and take into account financial circumstances.

“The council also failed to ensure its policy information was accessible – I do not accept that a family should be expected to know that different parts of a policy are to be found in two distinct and different documents, and base significant financial decisions on this knowledge.”

We have recommended the council review its decision to withdraw transport from the two girls and give proper consideration to the family’s financial circumstances. As part of the review the council should also consider reimbursing the family the cost of the bus passes that they have already paid and restoring a free pass to the younger daughter.

The council has also been asked to apologise to the family and review its transport policy and procedure.

La Defensora del Pueblo, Soledad Becerril, ha pedido a la Secretaría de Estado de Economía y Apoyo a la Empresa que inste a las entidades financieras a aplicar la sentencia del Tribunal Supremo (TS), de 9 de mayo de 2013, que declaró nulas las cláusulas suelo cuando falta transparencia.

La Institución ya se dirigió en junio de 2013 al Banco de España para que actuara en defensa de los consumidores y formulara una recomendación para que bancos y cajas aplicaran la sentencia del TS. En su informe anual, el Banco de España contabiliza 35.185 reclamaciones, un 246% más que el año anterior, un aumento que en parte se debe a las quejas por la aplicación de la cláusula suelo. 

El Defensor del Pueblo ha continuado recibiendo quejas de numerosos ciudadanos que, tras la sentencia del TS y a pesar de haber solicitado a sus entidades bancarias la supresión de esta cláusula, siguen sin conseguir que la misma sea anulada en sus préstamos hipotecarios.

La no aplicación de la sentencia por parte de bancos y cajas está perjudicando gravemente a los titulares de préstamos con esta cláusula que no pueden beneficiarse de la bajada del euríbor y que tienen que acudir a la vía judicial para conseguir anularlas, algo que no todos los ciudadanos pueden hacer por carecer de medios económicos suficientes.

Por ello, la Defensora del Pueblo considera necesario instar a aquellas entidades que todavía no las han anulado a que atiendan al contenido de la sentencia del TS.