2008 key figures social security institutions and the Public Employment Service Austria (AMS) are also responsible for this area. People traditionally have a great interest in receiving information from the AOB about the judiciary. Even though independent court rulings is excluded from the AOB's investigative activity, many people feel the need to receive information about already applicable rulings. Complaints often concern the duration of court proceedings. Overall the number of investigative proceedings also increased sharply in the last two years from 760 (2006) to 927 (2008). Long-standing favourite: the judiciary The number of cases pertaining to internal affairs has also been continuously on the rise for years. The revision of the law relating to aliens in 2005 led to an increased number of complaints. This trend also continued in 2008 with a total of 503 investigative proceedings. Rising number of cases in internal affairs Complaints about the Federal Chancellor's Office, the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management were the exception in the reporting period. Despite this gratifyingly low number of cases, some of the investigative proceedings of these Ministries related to sensitive matters of great exemplary significance. 2008 complaints resolved concerning federal administration 2008 Investigative proceedings completed without formal declaration of maladministration Investigative proceedings completed with a formal declaration of maladministration 3,798 689 Investigative proceedings inadmissible: Information 1,206 Austrian Ombudsman Board not responsible 1,093 Complaint retracted Total of resolved complaints As a whole, 7,449 cases presented to the AOB in 2007 or 2008 could be resolved in the reporting period. In 689 investigative proceedings, a case of maladministration was formally determined. In 3,798 investigative proceedings, this was not the case and the AOB then informed the complainants of the legal situation and of possible solutions. Therefore the investigative proceedings resulted in a formal determination of mal-administration in 15.3% of the cases in 2008. 663 7,449 15.3% of investigative proceedings resulted in formal case of maladministration 32nd Report of the Austrian Ombudsman Board to the National Council and the Federal Council 2008 9