Ombudsman should be given powers to investigate 'own motion'

Gibraltar's Ombudsman should be given powers to investigate its own motions in order to initiate its own investigations. This says former Ombudsman Mario Hook, having stepping down from his post just a week ago, should be introduced to further develop and improve the Office of the Ombudsman on the Rock.
England and Gibraltar are the only Ombudsmen who have no jurisdiction to initiate an inquiry without receipt of a complaint. However, the existence of an own motion or own initiative power is a feature of many Ombudsman offices in other parts of the world. An own motion would enable the office locally, he says, to investigate and focus on areas which do not normally produce complaints for a variety of reasons and sensitivities.
In an interview with the Chronicle after 14 years as Gibraltar’s Public Services Ombudsman, Mr Hook emphasises, the independence of the office should also remain a priority for the new Ombudsman, former Financial Secretary Dilip Dayaram Tirathdas, as has been the case with all previous post holders.
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