Ombudsman’s 2024 Annual Report Tabled
Ombudsman Michael DeSilva has submitted his 2024 Annual Report to the Speaker of the House, and it was tabled this morning [June 27] in the House of Assembly and is now available to the public.
A spokesperson said, “Michael DeSilva, the Ombudsman for Bermuda, has submitted his Annual Report for 2024 to the Speaker of the House of Assembly in accordance with his statutory duty under the Ombudsman Act 2004. The report was tabled in the House of Assembly this morning and it is now available to the public.
“The Ombudsman’s Office handled 285 cases in 2024, comprising 223 new cases received during the year and 62 cases carried forward from previous years. This represents a consistent demand for our services. Of the new cases, 191 were formal complaints while 32 were enquiries seeking guidance. 69 complaints were not in our jurisdiction, and we referred 30 complainants to more appropriate authorities to address their issues.
“The Office successfully disposed of 234 cases during the year, with 82% of the caseload being closed at year-end, and only 51 cases remained open. This represents an improvement in case management efficiency.
“The 2024 report demonstrates the Office’s strategic emphasis on face-to-face engagement with complainants and government authorities. This approach has assisted with effective case resolution, with the office prioritising ‘improvement-focused discussions’ that allow for collaborative problem-solving with authorities and reduce the need for formal investigations.
“Public Officers are expected to deal with all people fairly and impartially, and to provide a high‐quality service. However, the Office recognises that they are not expected to tolerate behaviour that is abusive, offensive, threatening, or which makes it difficult for them to deliver service. Accordingly, the report provides comprehensive guidance for public authorities on managing unreasonable complainant behaviour while maintaining procedural fairness.
“International collaboration remained a priority in 2024, with staff attending conferences in the Netherlands, Botswana, and California. Notably, Investigations Officer Aquilah Fleming received an Outstanding Exhibitor award at the International Ombud Expo 2024, while the office continued its active participation in Caribbean, Canadian, UK, and US ombudsman associations.”
Mr. DeSilva said, “We continued to implement our Strategic Plan throughout 2024 to increase public outreach, engage with public authorities, improve our processes, and speed up our casework. But we do not sacrifice quality for quantity; the Office is committed to thorough, human-centred complaint resolution.”
“Behind every complaint that crosses our desks is a person – often frustrated, sometimes angry, frequently feeling unheard – who has turned to us as their last hope. It is this deeply personal dimension of our mandate that continues to humble and motivate me.” Mr. DeSilva added, “This human-centred approach has become increasingly central to our methodology, and I believe it has made us more effective advocates for fair and reasonable outcomes.”
The spokesperson said, “The Ombudsman’s Annual Report is available to download at www.ombudsman.bm. Members of the public are invited to contact the Office at contact@ombudsman.bm or 296- 6541 with any questions or to make a complaint. The Office also provides free presentations about its work to community groups, public authorities, or any other interested parties.”
The full Bermuda Ombudsman Annual Report 2024 follows below [PDF here]:
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Do not even bother with the Ombudsman’s office. They are extremely slow and either understaffed or not equipt to deal with investigations. What is most concerning is that if a complaint is received by the Ombudsman they are meant to reach out to the gov dept to find out information during their investigation. The gov dept will just respond however they like and the Ombudsman will accept it. This is fact. The Ombudsman does not have a backbone and they don’t challenge the things gov says. In fact even if they did have a backbone what powers do they have to enforce complaints? Nothing and the gov knows this. This is not helpful when someone is filing a complaint to fix something that just simply is not working.