Pamplona (EFE).- Complaints related to Education have monopolized to a greater extent those registered with the Ombudsman of Navarra in 2022, in which those motivated by the covid pandemic have been in evident decline, within the 3,575 Actions carried out, with 1,648 complaints handled, 1,829 queries answered and 19 actions carried out ex officio.
The figures reveal a stabilization in the last three years, with 1,426 complaints filed in 2022 (to which are added the complaints whose files were pending closure in the previous year) and 1,411 managed, 1,408 in 2021 (1,540 managed), 1,416 in 2020 (1,602 managed), 1,138 in 2019 (1,219 managed) or 1,052 in 2018 (1,193 managed).
These are the data that summarize the activity of the institution, chaired for a year by Patxi Vera, who has presented this Wednesday in the Provincial Parliament the annual report of his office, in which, in addition to Education (24.5% of complaints compared to 9.1% the previous year, an increase attributable to the strike declared in multiple schools in Navarra for the 0-3 year cycle) complaints were dominated by issues such as access to public employment (6.9% compared to 6.1% one year earlier).
They are followed by Social Welfare (6.6% compared to 8.4% the previous year); Social Security (6.5% for 2% in 2021); Health (5.3% by 5.2%); Environment (5.1% by 4.5%); covid (4.8% compared to 14.2% a year earlier); Housing (4.7% by 5.9%); Treasury (4.3% by 5.3%); Traffic (4.3% by 5.6%) and Public Function (4% this 2022 compared to 5.2% a year earlier), among others, which “highlights the concerns or dissatisfactions” of citizens, has saying.
From kindergartens to waiting lists
The indefinite strike in Nursery Schools, attention to students with special needs, the school day, transportation and canteen, or scholarships are some of the complaints that stand out in the Education section, while access to public employment stands out. the disagreement with aspects of the stabilization processes and in Social Welfare others of the Guaranteed Income and social exclusion, and problems of people with disabilities.
As for Social Security, the impossibility of making an appointment at the offices is the subject of special criticism; and in Health, the waiting lists and the shortage of personnel are the most relevant; with the noises in Environment as the complaints of more number.
After a brief review, Vera added that to these figures is added the supervision work carried out by the institution on the public administrations of Navarra in defense of the rights of citizens or for the improvement of public services, which has translated in 912 investigations on public administrations: 899 due to complaints, 16 due to ex officio actions; and 7, on the occasion of citizen proposals.
This supervision has given rise to 349 resolutions, containing 259 recommendations, 97 reminders of legal duties, 110 suggestions and 16 regulatory suggestions, which the institution has sent to administrations and institutions as a result of its investigations or actions.
In any case, the defender has highlighted that, among complaints, queries and proposals for improvement from citizens, presented in the previous year, a total of 9,601 people have addressed or approached the institution, 6,114 women (63.7%) and 3,487 men (36.3%).
Only after the complaints presented are 4,317 people who have requested the Ombudsman, while after the consultations there are 5,221 people who have been addressed to obtain information about the rights that assist them, the best way to exercise them or to find out about the legality of administrative activity. There are 45 people behind the improvement proposals, and 18 behind the mediation files.
Regarding the administrations or entities receiving the complaints, 37.7% have been the foral (with the departments of Education, Health, the Presidency, Social Rights, Territorial Planning and Economy and Finance as the most appealed), on 25 .5% local (the most sued are the municipalities of Pamplona, Valle de Egüés, Tudela and Zizur Mayor), 20.4% both together, 12.8% state and 1.5% private entities outside to the Administration.
Regarding the efforts, in 2022 there were 1,045 files in which the complaint was admitted, of which 85.1% were investigated (the rest remained in process).
The Government of Navarra accepted 114 resolutions
The Ombudsman of Navarra concluded that in 617 complaint files there were reasons to address the claim raised by the citizens, with 337 files in which it considered that the claimant was right, totally or partially, and issued a resolution, and with 220 files in for which the institution’s intervention led to the issues raised entering the process of solution or to the Administration directly accepting the claim of the authors.
Vera has also pointed out that the percentage of acceptance of the resolutions issued in 2022 by the public administrations is 68.2% (in 223 cases the Administration accepted the pronouncement and in 104 it rejected it), in the way that the Provincial Government accepted 114 and rejected 70, local entities accepted 107 and rejected 33.
In the turn of the groups, all have supported the work of the office, the results of which also represent a useful thermometer for the groups when it comes to knowing where the greatest dissatisfactions of the Navarrese are in their relationship with the different administrations and entities such as universities or professional colleges.
