The Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman has been elected by Parliament. His task is to help ensure that administrative authorities act in accordance with the law and good administrative practice, thus protecting citizens’ rights vis-à-vis the authorities. The Ombudsman investigates complaints, opens cases on his own initiative and carries out monitoring visits. Annual Report The Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman Gammeltorv 22 DK-1457 København K 2019 Phone +45 33 13 25 12 www.ombudsmanden.dk
[email protected] This page has been intentionaly left blank. To Parliament In accordance with section 11(1) and (2) of the Parliamentary Ombudsman Act (consolidating Act no. 349 of 22 March 2013), I am hereby submitting my Annual Report for the year 2019. Copenhagen, March 2020 Niels Fenger Published by The Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman Gammeltorv 22 DK-1457 København K Printed by Rosendahls a/s, Copenhagen E-mail:
[email protected] Printed in Denmark 2020 Also available in PDF format on www.ombudsmanden.dk Graphic design Conduce Umano (infographics on pages 9, 10, 39, 128 and 129) Photographers Jasper Carlberg Jakob Dall ISSN 1902-0120 Contents Preface: Protection of citizens’ legal rights Niels Fenger, Parliamentary Ombudsman .......................................... 4 Confusion about the roles of public authorities afects citizens Marianne Halkjær Ebbesen, Legal Case Ofcer, and Lisbeth Adserballe, Senior Head of Division ................................... 8 How do we introduce e-government without harming our legal rights? Niels Fenger, Parliamentary Ombudsman .......................................... 16 Is using the term ‘environmental information’ a magic formula? Kirsten Talevski, Senior Head of Division, and Kristine Holst Hedegaard, Deputy Head of Division ........................... 22 About the cases Complaint cases ....................................................................