The Ombudsman institution is envisaged in the Constitution of Norway and its functions and organization are set down in detail in the Act concerning the Storting's Ombudsman for Public Administration of 22 June 1962, last amended in 1996, as well as in Directive to the Storting's Ombudsman for Public Administration of 19 February 1980.
The Ombudsman is elected by the Parliament after every general election for a term of four years. Citizens of Norway who are trained in law and who have turned 30 years are eligible for appointment as Ombudsman. The Ombudsman may be removed from office by the Parliament with a majority of two thirds of the deputies.
The Ombudsman may not deal with the decisions of the Parliament and of the King in Council of State (the Government). The functions of the Office of the Auditor General and the functions of the courts of law also fall outside his jurisdiction. In view of the principle of municipal self-government, not all decisions passed by municipal councils or county councils can be brought before the Ombudsman.
The investigation of a complaint in Norway requires that all the available possibilities of administrative legal remedies be exhausted. The time limit for submitting a complaint is one year and after that the Ombudsman may take up the case on his own initiative.
Beside the Parliamentary Ombudsman for Public Adminsitration in Norway there are several specialized Ombudsman institutions such as the Ombudsman for Children, the Gender Equality Ombudsman, the Consumer Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for National Defence, and the Ombudsman for Civilian Conscripts.
Contact information:
Parliamentary Ombudsman for Public Administration
Address: Akersgata 8, 6th floor (entrance Tollbugata)
Postal address: P.O. Box 3 Sentrum, N-0101 Oslo
Phone: (+47) 22 82 85 00
Green number: (+47) 800 80 039
Fax: (+47) 22 82 85 11
E-mail: post@sivilombudsmannen.no
Web site: http://www.sivilombudsmannen.no
OMBUDSMAN
Information Network
