medborger_i_danmark_engelsk.pdf - Ny i Danmark

A society founded on the rule of law17Professional secrecyAccess to documentsThe Ombudsman of theDanish ParliamentThe fact that Denmark is a democracyalso implies that it is a constitutionalsociety (founded on the rule of law). Thismeans that the executive power isdemocratically controlled, and that thecourts are separated from theadministration. It also means thateveryone enjoys certain fundamentalrights and liberties, that everyone has aduty to comply with the law and is entitledto fair treatment, both by theadministrative authorities and by thecourts.All public authority staff are bound byprofessional secrecy. They therefore needyour consent to pass on any informationthey may obtain from you to somebodyelse, for instance your employer or yourdoctor.According to the Danish PublicAdministration Act, you are entitled toaccess to your own case files. If you applyfor access to these documents, you willnormally be told the contents of the casefiles.However, applications for access todocuments may be denied if the authorityinvolved finds that disclosing suchinformation could be detrimental to athird party.The Ombudsman of the Danish Parliamentis appointed by Parliament and deals withmatters concerning errors or neglect inCitizins’ rights and how tofile complaints about publicauthoritiesThe Danish Public Administration Actrequires the public authorities to treat citizensfairly.Under this Act, grounds must be given forrefusing an application or request. Furthermore,the public authorities must alwaysprovide guidance with regard to where andhow to file a complaint.The Act contains provisions for the timeallowed for processing a complaint and for thekind of information citizens are entitled toreceive. In brief, this Act lays down the rulesfor the case processing procedures to befollowed by ministries, agencies, councils,boards and committees, as well as by municipaland county authorities.public administrative affairs. TheOmbudsman may intervene either tofollow-up on a complaint or at his owninitiative.The Ombudsman is independentof the Government.Anyone suspecting the authorities offailure to comply with rules andregulations or of case processing errorsmay contact the Ombudsman forassistance. However, all other channels ofcomplaint should first be exhausted. Theombudsman service is free to all citizens.DENMARK – A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY FOUNDED ON THE RULE OF LAW