You and the National Ombudsman
Government has many responsibilities. One of them is to ensure that laws, regulations and administrative procedures are correctly implemented and applied. This is often a complicated business and things sometimes go wrong. After all, public servants and staff at privatised government agencies are only human. The result may be that something goes wrong between you and an administrative authority. You tell the authority that you don't feel you have been properly treated, but it doesn't help.
In cases like this, you have the right to seek help (free of charge) from the National Ombudsman of the Netherlands. There are various ombudsmen and ombudswomen in the Netherlands, but only one National Ombudsman. He is appointed by the lower house of Parliament and his sole task is to sort out problems that occur between members of the public and government.
People with good reason to be dissatisfied with their treatment by the authorities often decide to put up with the situation because they simply can't be bothered with the whole complex business of making a formal complaint. That is a pity. It is no help to them and it does nothing to help government improve its services.
What are administrative authorities?
The National Ombudsman can deal with complaints about almost all administrative authorities, including government ministries, water boards, provinces , the UWV, the SVB and the police. Private-sector organisations which act as agencies for government, like the CBR in the case of driving licences, also count as administrative authorities. If you are unsure whether or not the body involved in your problem is an administrative authority, phone the free telephone hotline on