Ombudsman can do its work effectively, says John Lee

Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday expressed confidence that the Office of the Ombudsman will do its work effectively and address public concerns, after questions were raised over the body’s decision to remove some past reports from its website.

Lee noted that while there had been some public debate about the matter, the watchdog had issued a press release for clarification.

“It explained the reasons why certain materials or records have been removed from the website. The Ombudsman’s office also published a statement to say that all the records will be kept and there’ll be channels for the public to access the reference materials,” he said, before going into Tuesday’s Executive Council meeting.

The Ombudsman had explained that the move to delete older investigation reports was to maintain accuracy and keep the site relevant. It added that people can apply to receive information not available on the website via an online form, email or post.

The chief executive also noted that the Ombudsman is a statutory body that functions independently from the government, which plays no part in its operations.