Annexes Section 11. Access to the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s case documents 1. The Ombudsman’s case documents are public unless otherwise provided by the duty of confidentiality or the exceptions listed in subsections 2, 3 and 4 below. The term ‘the Ombudsman’s case documents’ means documents prepared in connection with the Ombudsman’s handling of a case. Case documents prepared or obtained during the public administration’s handling of the case are not publicly available through the Ombudsman. 2. Case documents from the Ombudsman may be exempted from public disclosure when special reasons so indicate. 3. The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s internal case documents may be exempted from public disclosure. 4. Documents exchanged between the Storting and the Ombudsman and that concern the Ombudsman’s budget and internal administration may be exempted from public disclosure. 5. Access may be requested to the public content of the records the Ombudsman maintains for registering documents in cases that are opened. The Archives Act of 4 December 1992 No. 126 and the Archives Regulations of 11 December 1998 No. 1193 apply correspondingly to the Ombudsman’s activities to the extent they are appropriate. Ombudsman’s activities in the period 1 January– 31 December of the previous year. The report shall contain a summary of procedures in cases which the Ombudsman considers to be of general interest, and shall mention those cases in which he has called attention to shortcomings in acts, regulations or administrative practice, or has issued a special report under section 12, second paragraph, of the Parliamentary Ombudsman Act. In the annual report, the Ombudsman shall also provide information on activities to oversee and monitor that the public administration respects and safeguards human rights. If the Ombudsman finds reason to do so, he may refrain from mentioning names in the report. The report shall in any case not include information that is subject to the duty of confidentiality. The account of cases where the Ombudsman has expressed an opinion as mentioned in section 10, second, third and fourth paragraphs, of the Parliamentary Ombudsman Act, shall summarise any response by the relevant administrative body or official about the complaint, see section 6, first paragraph, third sentence. A report concerning the Ombudsman’s activities as the national preventive mechanism shall be issued before 1 April each year. This report shall cover the period 1 January–31 December of the previous year. Amended by Storting decision of 14 June 2000 No. 1712 (in force from 1 January 2001). Amended by Storting decision of 14 June 2000 No. 1712 (in force from 1 January 2001), 12 June 2007 No. 1101 (in force from 1 July 2007), 17 June 2013 No. 1251 (in force from 1 July 2013). Section 12. Annual report to the Storting Section 13. Entry into force (See section 12 of the Parliamentary Ombudsman Act) These instructions enter into force on 1 March 1980. From the same date, the Storting’s Instructions to the Parliamentary Ombudsman of 8 June 1968 are repealed. The Ombudsman’s annual report to the Storting shall be submitted by 1 April each year and shall cover the Norway’s National Preventive Mechanism – Annual Report 2014 73