The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:

     The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (July 8) presented the 2025-26 Annual Report of The Ombudsman to the public. In the reporting year, the Office achieved remarkable results in all three strategic focuses championed by the Ombudsman, and further stepped up its supervisory role to bring about tangible improvements in public administration. The Office also exceeded all its service targets in handling enquiries, complaints, reassessment and review of complaints.

     This year marks the 29th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)'s return to the motherland; it is also the first year of the country's 15th Five-Year Plan, and a pivotal year for Hong Kong as it moves from stability towards prosperity. On July 1, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the celebrations marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, stressing that promoting the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong is an inherent requirement for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; that we must comprehensively, accurately and unwaveringly implement the principles of "one country, two systems" and "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" with a high degree of autonomy; put into practice the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong"; enhance the effectiveness of governance in accordance with the law; promote economic and social development; and support Hong Kong in better integrating into and serving the country's overall development.

     To fully support the HKSAR Government's policy objective of improving people's livelihood in alignment with the national development direction, Mr Chan has championed three strategic focuses since taking office: enhancing mediation to swiftly resolve complaints, effectively address public concerns and improve people's livelihood; fostering interdepartmental collaboration to improve administrative efficiency; and cultivating a positive complaint culture within the community, particularly by encouraging the younger generation to voice their opinions in a constructive manner. Mr Chan said, "The three strategic focuses aim at improving the overall quality of public administration and bringing tangible benefits to the public. At the same time, we encourage the Government and society to work together towards building a more harmonious, liveable and progressive city. In the second reporting year of my tenure, all three initiatives have already yielded significant results."

     During the year, the Office achieved unprecedented results, with 1 145 cases resolved by mediation, which was more than double the number of the previous year and accounted for 72 per cent of all cases pursued, far surpassing previous records in both number and percentage. The average time taken to resolve a complaint by way of mediation was just 7.94 days. In support of the Office's mediation efforts, government departments and public organisations have embraced mediation for more extensive use to handle complaints and promptly alleviate public grievances.

     The Office has further promoted interdepartmental collaboration, actively advocating seamless service delivery by all departments and organisations under the "One Government" approach for people-oriented results. During the year, the Office's efforts were fruitful again in completing five direct investigation operations and 396 important complaint cases on this front.
      
     The Office is committed to fostering a positive complaint culture in all sectors of society through a variety of channels, with particular focus on encouraging the younger generation to adopt a constructive mindset and actively participate in public affairs. Throughout the year, it organised 17 talks at universities, tertiary institutions and secondary schools, and participated in seven career fairs, reaching out to more than 66 000 young people. The Ombudsman's Awards presented annually continued to honour departments, organisations and public officers for excellence in enhancing public services, with a new Team Award introduced in this reporting year. In addition, appreciation letters and certificates were issued under the dual-track commendation scheme to departments, organisations and members of the public in recognition of their contribution to the enhancement of public administration.
      
     In exercising its supervisory functions, the Office completed 10 direct investigation operations and concluded 46 cases by full investigation during the year. A total of 573 recommendations, more than double the previous year's figure, were made to drive substantive reforms across various areas of public administration, all of which were accepted by the departments and organisations concerned. In complaint cases where no or only minor maladministration is involved, the Office makes constructive observations, highlighting areas for improvement while acknowledging the positive measures taken by the departments or organisations concerned. During the year, a total of 912 observations were made under this initiative.

     In the reporting year, the Office established the Hong Kong International Ombudsman Academy by flexibly allocating existing resources. Through lectures and seminars, it created diverse interactive platforms to deepen exchanges with local, Mainland and international counterparts, while promoting a positive complaint culture and the concept of maladministration prevention. Moreover, the Office actively aligned with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, leveraging Hong Kong's unique role as a bridge between the Mainland and the wider world. By engaging in international ombudsman affairs, it strengthened ties with Mainland and overseas partners, promoted cross-regional sharing of experience and knowledge, and told the world good stories of Hong Kong.

     In the reporting year, the Office received 5 167 complaints on various topics and completed 5 012 cases (including some carried over from the preceding year), of which 3 421 were assessed and closed and 1 591 were pursued and concluded.

     During the year, the Office further streamlined its internal structure and procedures to enhance efficiency, and exercised stringent control over operational expenses. Despite heavier workloads and more complicated demands, it recorded an increase of $16 million in accumulated reserve, owing to substantial cost-cutting measures.

     The full text of the Annual Report can be viewed or downloaded from the Office's website at www.ombudsman.hk.

Ends/Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:00

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