An officer keeping tabs on Government could be in place very soon if MPs pass the Ombudsman?s Act today.

The Act, creating an Ombudsman who would investigate complaints against public authorities, will be the main piece of legislation debated in the House of Assembly today.

The equivalent of a consumer relations for the civil service, the ombudsman would act independently of Government. The position would make Government?s actions more open and its servants more accountable to the public, Government spokeswoman Beverle Lottimore said in a Press statement.

?The Ombudsman usually has powers to make an objective investigation into complaints from the public about the administration of Government and may also have powers to initiate an investigation even if a complaint has not been registered,? she said.

?It usually does not have the power to make decisions that are binding on the Government, but instead makes recommendations for change.

?The Ombudsman is independent from the executive/administrative branch of Government, provides services free to the public, and makes an annual report to the Legislature and the public in general.?

However, the Ombudsman may not investigate administrative actions taken by the Cabinet, Ministers or Junior Ministers or administrative actions taken for the purposes of investigating crime or protecting the security of Bermuda.

The idea of creating a Government ombudsman position was considered as far back as 1992 but rejected on the grounds that Bermuda was too small. The opinion was that in country as small as Bermuda, where the Premier is listed in the telephone book and Cabinet Ministers are ?easily accessible?, the addition of an ombudsman?s position might hinder access rather than help it.

But former Premier Jennifer Smith announced Government would introduce the position as part of the package of Constitutional changes which were brought into effect after the Progressive Labour Party won power in 1998.

Government is encouraging the public to follow the debate on ZBM 1230 AM, and copies of the draft legislation can be downloaded at www.gov.bm.

Other legislation likely to be debate today include The Anti-Terrorism (Financial and Other Measures) Act and the Segregated Accounts Companies Amendment Act.