64 | At Margretecentret in Maribo, hair and nails are done once a week. 18/00981 ‘They are almost too kind’, said a 17-yearold boy at an asylum centre when the Om­­budsman’s monitoring team asked how he liked the staff. He was pleased about living at the centre and had many good things to say about the staff. He had, however, wondered about the Danish way of socialising with young people. There was so much hugging and joking around that the young people did not take the staff seriously, according to the young boy. The young people came from a different culture and upbringing. He was of the opinion that the staff ought to draw the line more often. The Ombudsman’s staff members passed on the boy’s remarks to management who were surprised about his reflections but took them on board. The Ombudsman’s Children’s Division carries out annual monitoring visits to institutions for children in order to monitor that their legal rights are observed. Legal case officers par­ ticipate in the visits as well as a children’s expert who is specifically concerned with the children’s well-being. 17/00799 To be entitled to cash benefit, you have to be able to document that you have lived in Denmark for seven out of the last eight years. This became a problem for a homeless man with Danish citizenship who had been without income for two years and who had neither been to the doctor nor in contact with anybody else from the Danish authorities who could attest that he had been living in Denmark. The man gave information of three acquaintances with whom he had met on a regular basis during the two years but the authorities did not consider it relevant to take depositions from them. The man lost his right to cash benefit and was given integration benefit instead. However, the Ombudsman was of the opinion that the authorities could not refuse to consider depositions from the man’s acquaintances. After the Ombudsman had made his statement, the authorities took depositions from the three acquaintances. Subsequently, the man was granted cash benefit. The Ombudsman’s statement on the case was published as Case No. 2018­31 on www.ombudsmanden.dk and on www.retsin­ formation.dk, the official legal information system of the Danish state. Statements on selected Ombudsman cases are published on a regular basis in this way. In 2018, the Om­ budsman selected 39 cases for publication. 16/03029 A sailors association had applied to the Allocation Committee for the Pool for Certain Magazines and Periodicals for a distribution grant for its members’ magazine but had been turned down. The Committee emphasized that the main contents of the magazine fell under the category of ‘hobbylike activities’. In order to get a grant, the magazine would have to focus on sports mainly. While the Ombudsman was processing the case, news emerged that the Committee among other things put emphasis on whether the association applying for a grant was eligible for membership of DGI, a central association of Danish sports. Urged by the Ombudsman, the sailors association obtained written documentation that it was eligible for membership of DGI. On the basis of the new information, the Committee assessed that the sailors association met the conditions for grants in 2018. If the Ombudsman assesses that a case can be concluded in a simple way, he will normally attempt to do so. 18/03396 The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration refused a foreign chef’s application for residence and work permit as a specialised chef at a restaurant in Denmark. The chef did not complain about the refusal to the Immigration Appeals Board because he had found work in another country in the meantime. The owner of the restaurant did not understand the refusal and asked the Agency for guidance on the rules. Next, the owner complained to the Ombudsman because he was dissatisfied with the Agency’s guidance and treatment of him. The Agency had informed the owner of the restaurant that he could complain to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration about the Agency’s guidance and treatment of him so the Ombudsman asked him to use that channel of complaint first. Complaints can be lodged with the Ombuds­ man about authorities’ case processing as well as about decisions made by authorities and about staff conduct.