Being careless with information
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Citizens have a right to expect that public bodies will handle and process information properly and appropriately, and respect the privacy of personal and confidential information. When bodies fail to live up to that expectation it undermines the trust of the individual and of the wider public in the body. As e-government continues to grow, and as it becomes increasingly easy to share information at the touch of a button, that trust is vitally important.
‘Being open and accountable’ is one of the Ombudsman’s Principles of Good Administration. Public bodies should make decisions having taken proper account of all relevant considerations, in line with the Principle of ‘Getting it right’. They should also be open with individuals about how they have reached decisions, giving clear explanations of the reasons for those decisions and about what citizens may do if they disagree with them.
The next section tells the stories of five people who were put – quite unnecessarily – in difficult and stressful situations because the body concerned did not follow good, basic administrative practice when it came to gathering, processing and disclosing information.
‘He made no effort to sort the matter out from his end and only believed things could be sorted out if I put myself to further distress and inconvenience, which would save his department having to find the information I had already submitted.’
A complainant
