1. The Ombudsman’s activity in the complaints procedures 1.1. Statistics: brief notes The Ombudsman’s mission, in terms of its classical function, relies on the handling of complaints and on the management of the citizens’ requests regarding the administrative action of public authorities or private entities that provide essential services to the community. This report will provide, for the first time, the full scope of the Ombudsman’s effort, through the analysis of all communications and requests received, regardless of the instruments used, reporting new situations or relevant ones to the examination of issues, some of them already under consideration. The analysis presented here, is anchored in the fact that 2016 is the first full year of complete operation of the integrated project to assist the citizens and of the new computerized procedural management system, which started in September and April 2015, respectively. Graph I Requests addressed to the Ombudsman in 2016 30000 28333 Total = 38 183 25000 20000 15000 10000 4026 5000 0 Complaints and other communications Calls - Children, Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Lines 5824 Oral/in person complaints As a result, in 2016, the Ombudsman received 38 183 requests, as shown in the chart above. These requests correspond to 28 333 records of complaints and other communications, 4026 telephone calls received through the Children’s Line(541), the Senior Citizen’s Line (2878) and the Disabled Person’s Line (607) and 5824 telephonic or presential services by the Information and Public Relations Division. These statistical data, which will be analyzed in the course of this report, reflect the volume of work that daily and instantaneously demand the attention of the Ombudsman, in addition to the activities 16 |