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Catalan Ombudsman calls for compliance with time frames, more resources in social policies for society’s most vulnerable
The Catalan Ombudsman has demanded that administrations devote more attention, human and financial resources to the application of social policies. Upon presentation of his office's 2008 Report to Parliament, Ombudsman Ribó also requested that the involved services be expedited and better coordinated.
Ribó pointed out such managerial shortcomings as the application of the Dependency Act, delays in acknowledgement and later payment of the basic emancipation benefit and further delays in plans to eliminate architectural barriers.
In 2008, the Catalan Ombudsman's interventions increased 8.8% over 2007. Overall, there were 23,170 interventions, divided among 5,610 complaints (23.66%), 97 ex-officio actions (0.41%) and 18,003 queries (75%).
There has been a 259.5% increase in the number of interventions since 2004. In other words, 3.5 interventions have been made in 2008 for every intervention conducted in 2004.
Adding the number of persons -individuals and groups- who filed the complaints (12,397), to the number of queries received -considering consultations of a unipersonal nature- it could be said that the Catalan Ombudsman assisted 30,400 people in 2008.
