“While acknowledging that the Ombudsman’s budget has increased in 2020, the SCA encourages the Ombudsman to continue to advocate for additional funding to ensure that it can effectively carry out the full breadth of its mandate and provide capacity building for its regional representatives.
Provision of adequate funding by the State should, at a minimum, include the following:
- The allocation of funds for premises, which are accessible to the wide community, including for persons, including for persons with disabilities. In certain circumstances, in order to promote independence and accessibility, this may require that offices are not co-located with government agencies. Where possible, accessibility should be further enhanced by establishing a permanent regional presence;
- Salaries and benefits awarded to staff comparable to those of civil servants performing similar tasks in other independent institutions of the State;
- Remuneration of members of the decision-making body (where appropriate);
- The establishment of a well-functioning communications system including telephone and internet; and
- The allocation of a sufficient amount of resources for mandated activities. Where the NHRI has been designated with additional responsibilities by the State, additional financial resources should be provided to enable it to assume the responsibilities of discharging these functions.”