MP Jansen-Webster: Public should not have to beg for govt. customer service; concerns at P&O

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Veronica Jansen-Webster used Parliament’s Central Committee meeting on the Ombudsman’s 2024 Annual Report to set out two separate concerns, customer service at public counters, and the performance of the Department of Personnel and Organization, P&O. She treated them as distinct matters that each require attention from the administration and clear follow up from possibly Parliament.

On customer service, Jansen-Webster focused on the daily experience of people who need basic documents and services. “Too often, when citizens go to a government office, they feel like they are begging for a favor instead of receiving a public service,” she said. She cited complaints from residents who wait weeks or months for routine documents such as police records or passports, and she underlined the impact those delays have on work, travel and family needs.

“Someone who has lived here all their life and has never had a criminal issue should not have to wait a month for a police certificate,” she said. She asked the Ombudsman to clarify whether the office receives complaints about rude or dismissive treatment at counters and how those reports are handled, saying, “Does your office receive these kinds of reports? And if so, how are they addressed?” In her remarks she stressed that the quality of service people experience at the front desk in the government building shapes public confidence, and she pressed for clearer information for the public about where to lodge service complaints and what response to expect.

Separately, Jansen-Webster addressed concerns about P&O. She referred to files that remain pending and decisions that are not communicated in a timely manner, and she pointed to the Ombudsman’s figure of seven HR related cases across ministries in 2024.

She said uncertainty around appointments, confirmations and pay decisions weakens trust inside the service and that the same delays affect former civil servants, including current MPs, when their files reach Personnel Affairs. She noted that people report hearing dismissive and vindictive responses coming out of P&O about MP's when they ask for updates, and she said that this kind of culture discourages staff and shows up later in the service the public receives.

She suggested that the Ministry of General Affairs, under the Prime Minister, to explain how P&O is processing files and communicating decisions, and she called for predictable handling and clear points of contact so employees know what stage their file has reached and when a decision will be made.

Jansen-Webster said Parliament should schedule a follow up sitting to consider written clarification from the Ombudsman on how customer service complaints are categorized and resolved, along with a briefing from General Affairs on current P&O workflows and timelines. She said citizens judge the state by how they are treated at the counter, and civil servants judge the state by how their own files are handled. In both areas, she said, timely responses, clear information and respectful treatment will help rebuild confidence.

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