ENG-2011 — Page 67

Constitution and Administration | 31

• facts are pointed out when public officers are unjustly accused;

• human rights are protected; and

⚫ the public sector continues to improve its quality, transparency and efficiency.

Two exceptions to the monitoring system are the Hong Kong Police Force and the Independent Commission Against Corruption, both of which have their own separate bodies for dealing with public complaints. The 23 major public organisations in the schedule are: the Airport Authority, Auxiliary Medical Service, Civil Aid Service, Consumer Council, Employees Retraining Board, Equal Opportunities Commission, Estate Agents Authority, Financial Reporting Council, Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, Hong Kong Housing Authority, Hong Kong Housing Society, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Hong Kong Sports Institute Limited, Hospital Authority, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, Legislative Council Secretariat, Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Securities and Futures Commission, Urban Renewal Authority, Vocational Training Council and West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

Besides investigating complaints, The Ombudsman may initiate direct investigations of his own volition into matters of public interest and widespread concern, and publish the reports. This proactive and preventive approach aims at addressing problems affecting a broad spectrum of the community. The direct investigations are particularly useful in redressing administrative flaws of a systemic nature and addressing fundamental problems or underlying causes for complaint.

Since 1994, when The Ombudsman was empowered to undertake direct investigations, 82 such investigations have been completed six of them in the reporting year 2010-11. These six investigations concerned:

• Fire safety regulatory measures;

• Allocation and monitoring of government land;

• Driving-offence points system;

• Management of non-emergency ambulance transfer service by the Hospital Authority;

• Transport Department actions for safe operation of public light buses; and

• Enforcement against unauthorised building works in the New Territories exempted houses.

The reports of all direct investigations have been published and are available for public scrutiny at the office's Resource Centre.

The Ombudsman Ordinance also empowers The Ombudsman to investigate complaints of non-compliance with the Code on Access to Information against government departments, including the Hong Kong Police Force and the