1.	How does the Office of The Ombudsman handle a complaint?
	All complaints made to the Office will firstly be screened to see if they fall under the jurisdiction of The Ombudsman. If not, the complainant will be informed of the reasons why the Office will not handle his complaint. If the complaint falls under the jurisdiction of The Ombudsman, depending on the nature of the complaint, it will be dealt with either by full investigation or by inquiry or mediation. All complaints will be handled in the strictest confidence and the complainants will be informed of the results of their complaints eventually.
2.	Will the Office investigate anonymous complaints?
	According to The Ombudsman Ordinance, The Ombudsman shall not undertake or continue an investigation into a complaint if the complaint is made anonymously.
3.	Will my identity be disclosed if I lodge complaint to the Office?
	The Ombudsman, together with any staff and Advisers appointed by him under The Ombudsman Ordinance are all bound by law, under penalty of a fine and imprisonment, to maintain secrecy on all matters that come to their knowledge in the exercise of their statutory function under The Ombudsman Ordinance.  In this connection, any person or organisation can provide information to the Office without reserve or fear of reprisal.
4.	Are there any limits to what The Ombudsman can do?
	According to The Ombudsman Ordinance, The Ombudsman will not investigate complaints falling under one or more of the following circumstances :
		Actions by the Hong Kong Police Force, Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force or the Independent Commission Against Corruption other than alleged breaches of the Code on Access to Information.
		Actions by departments/organisations not under the jurisdiction of The Ombudsman.
		Complaints about policy, personnel matters or contractual/ commercial transactions.
		Actions of which the complainant has had knowledge for more than 2 years.
		Complaints not made by the aggrieved himself or an office bearer acting on behalf of a body corporate.
		Cases for which the complainant has a statutory right of appeal or objection or a remedy through the courts.
		Cases in which court proceedings have commenced, including any decision whether or not to prosecute any person for an offence.
		Complaints about the imposition or variation of any condition of granting, extending or renewing any interest in Government land.
		Actions taken in relation to the Hong Kong Codes on Takeovers and Mergers and Share Repurchases.
		Complaints that are trivial, frivolous, vexatious or made in bad faith.
		Expression of opinion/request for assistance that is not related to maladministration.
5.	Can I lodge a complaint by telephone?
	You can lodge your complaint by telephone if it is simple or you have difficulty in expressing your complaint in writing. To ensure authenticity and accuracy of the complaint points, your consent would be sought for tape-recording of the telephone conversation and a record of the gist of the complaint would be sent to you for confirmation. Upon receipt of your duly signed complaint form, this Office will communicate with you mainly in writing. However, if your complaint involves many parties, or if you already have a fairly extensive history of correspondence with the organisation being complained against or if you wish to provide considerable evidence to support your case, then it would be better for the complaint to be lodged in writing or in person.
6.	Can I lodge a complaint by email?
	You can lodge a complaint by email to complaints@omb.gov.hk . However, we will correspond with you by post under confidential cover unless you have a securely encrypted email account accepted by The Ombudsman for transmission of complaint related information. Otherwise, we have to respond by post to guard against disclosure, as we are required by law to maintain stringent secrecy
7.	Will The Ombudsman make any recommendations after investigating a complaint case?
	Depending on the results of the investigation, recommendations will be made to address the grievances of the complainant, such recommendations can be broadly classified into two categories, namely:
		Redress of grievances, which mainly includes issue of apologies and implementing remedial measures to resolve the complainant's' problem
		Administrative improvements which include streamlining faulty procedures and removing administrative errors, loopholes and deficiencies.
8.	Will The Ombudsman monitor if the recommendations made are implemented?
	Unlike Court verdicts, The Ombudsman's recommendations are not binding.  Nevertheless, after making recommendations in investigation reports, this Office will follow up with the organisation(s) concerned at regular intervals on the progress of implementation.  Where an organisation refuses to accept, fails to implement or to act adequately on any recommendation, The Ombudsman may submit a report to the Chief Executive.  In such event, The Ombudsman Ordinance requires a copy of the report be laid before the Legislative Council within one month or such longer period as the Chief Executive may determine.
9.	Who decides which public organisations to be put under the jurisdiction of The Ombudsman?
	Any changes to The Ombudsman Ordinance including the jurisdiction of The Ombudsman are initiated by the Administration on a need basis and approved by the legislature.
10.	Is there any appeal channel if a complainant does not agree with the conclusion of the The Ombudsman in respect of his complaint?
	Complainants who are not satisfied with the conclusions in respect of their complaints may appeal to the Office for a review. The Office will re-examine the complaints having regard to the arguments of the complainant and the additional information/evidence provided. The complainant may also consider seeking judicial review on The Ombudsman's decision or conclusion.
11.	With whom should I lodge a complaint against staff of the Office?
	Any complaint against staff for poor manner and work procedure, etc. can be directed to the Chief Manager (head of administration) of the Office for an independent inquiry. However, staff complaints are sometimes caused by complainants’ dissatisfaction on our findings and conclusions. If this the case, the complainants are welcome to write to The Ombudsman directly to seek on review of their cases.
12.	Can I lodge a complaint if I am not a Hong Kong citizen?
	Regardless of your nationality or right of abode, you may lodge a complaint to this Office if you are dissatisfied with any maladministration by Government departments and the public organisations under The Ombudsman's purview.