Unannounced field visits reveal shortcomings in CSPD branches

AMMAN – Inspectors from the Public Sector Development Ministry recently made unannounced field visits to three offices affiliated with the Civil Status and Passports Department (CSPD) in Amman and Salt to check on the quality of services offered to the public. 

The report on the visits, which included a number of negative observations, was referred to Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, the ministry said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times. 

The visits covered CSPD offices in Marka and Ashrafiyeh in Amman, in addition to a branch in the city of Salt. 

The inspectors said the Ashrafiyeh branch is located in a crowded commercial district that lacks parking lots and the building is unfriendly for people with disabilities and the elderly due to steep stairs. 

Despite the limited number of customers inside the office, the inspectors noticed that it took "a long time" to complete their transactions.

People may spend around two hours to have their queries answered, the report said, noting that   some employees were seen wearing their phone headsets, while others were receiving guests seeking wasta in their offices and processing transactions for friends and relatives. 

A complaints box was available but there were no forms, the report added. 

Negative observations were also made at the Salt branch, where there were no signs to guide people to the office, which also lacked parking spaces, according to the report. 

The inspectors said they observed that only two employees out of 10 were available in their offices to serve the public. 

The Salt office did not offer information on the procedures and documents required for transactions, and there was no box for complaints at the premises, the inspectors said. 

The Marka CSPD branch is on the second floor of an old building that is difficult to access for people with disabilities or the elderly, according to the report, which observed that the entrance of the office was packed with salespeople selling covers for passports and ID cards. 

The office was dirty, with cigarette butts and empty plastic cups of tea and coffee littering the customer service room, the inspectors said. 

Moreover, it was crowded with a large number of people who had to wait for a long time to obtain services due to the lack of an electronic queuing system. 

Customers also had to wait for the Marka branch director and his assistant, whose presence was sporadic, to have their transactions processed or finalised, according to the report.