asked the Minister for Finance the total expenditure of the Office of the Ombudsman for each of the years from 1984 to 1987 inclusive; the number of staff employed for each of those years; the number of cases investigated each year; the number of cases with a positive outcome; if his staff travel to the various destinations to interview both members of the public service and the general public, especially in dealing with local authority problems; the average cost of each case investigated for each year; if he has satisfied himself regarding the productivity of the Office of the Ombudsman; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Ombudsman's Office Operations.
20.
The information requested by the Deputy is as follows (it is assumed that the term "positive outcome" refers to cases resolved in favour of the complainant):
|
Year |
Total expenditure |
No. of staff at start of year |
No. of cases investigated |
No. of cases resolved in favour of complainant |
Average cost per case investigated |
|
£ |
£ |
||||
|
1984 |
243,649 |
14 |
1,013 |
400 |
240 |
|
1985 |
589,292 |
19 |
3,411 |
1,086 |
173 |
|
1986 |
723,917 |
39 |
5,382 |
1,277 |
135 |
|
1987 |
663,453 |
39 |
4,155 |
896 |
160 |
The staff of the office travel to various destinations as necessary, both to interview complainants and the staff of the agencies complained against (which can include local authorities).
The productivity of the office has not been specifically examined but this would, of course, be a fundamental component of any staffing review.