‘29% of complaints against public agencies in 2014 still unaddressed’

AMMAN — The Ministry of Public Sector Development on Sunday said it had referred a report on unresolved complaints lodged against government entities in 2014 to Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour. 

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, Public Sector Development Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh said the ministry prepared the report as part of its follow-up measures on public departments’ efforts to address complaints lodged against the quality of services.

Noting that 1,995 complaints were filed against 65 government agencies last year, Khawaldeh said 71 per cent of the complaints (1,414) were resolved, while 581 complaints, or 29 per cent of the total, remained unresolved.

The number of unresolved complaints is on the rise, particularly since the beginning of 2012, according to the minister, who added that the third quarter of 2014 witnessed the highest number of unaddressed complaints. 

He called on government agencies to address complaints against them, citing the reluctance of liaison officers to address flaws registered against their departments as the reason behind the increase in the number of such cases. 

The northern Governorate of Irbid had the highest number of unresolved complaints (130), according to the report, which attributed the figure to the Yarmouk Water Company’s lack of commitment to address complaints against its services. 

The report showed that 50 per cent of the unresolved complaints were recorded in Irbid, Zarqa and Amman, Khawaldeh said, adding that the majority of complaints were lodged against municipalities and water companies. 

The Health Ministry, he noted, holds the best ranking, having addressed all complaints registered against its services, while municipalities answered only 6 per cent.

The public can call the specialised unit that receives feedback on 06/5008080 to lodge complaints against government agencies, Khawaldeh said.