Ombudsman receives record number of complaints

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Kristín Benediktsdóttir, received a record number of complaints last year, and the total is expected to be even higher this year, mbl.is reports.

The Ombudsman’s annual report for 2025 says 416 complaints were submitted during the first half of 2026, compared with 282 during the same period last year.

In the report’s introduction, the Ombudsman notes that authorities frequently fail to respond within the required deadline. They sometimes do so without requesting an extension or explaining the delay, meaning that the office must occasionally follow up more than once.

Most complaints to the Ombudsman concern delays in responses from authorities, indicating that the problem extends beyond the Ombudsman’s office itself.

The office says authorities must respond when information or explanations are requested, and that their replies must be clear and focused. In several cases, it has also been difficult to reach authorities by telephone. The same problem has affected the public’s access to staff and services, potentially limiting citizens’ access to the authorities.

The report also links the rise in complaints partly to the use of artificial intelligence. While such tools can be useful, they have resulted in complaints that are often longer, more complicated and less focused than necessary.

Artificial intelligence can also delay the handling of cases because complainants sometimes overlook guidance already provided by authorities about appeal procedures and deadlines. Those avenues must be exhausted before the Ombudsman can consider a complaint.

Authorities have generally responded to the Ombudsman’s opinions. The office says all of its recommendations from last year were followed, although one was implemented only partially. In that case, the matter was reopened as recommended, but its handling did not fully comply with the considerations set out in the opinion.