There is no charge for his services. If it is clear from the complaint and the accompanying documents that a case cannot be expected to have a favourable outcome, there is little point in taking it on. But if it concerns a fault which could be important to shed light on, so that a repetition can be avoided, this may justify the ombudsman's dealing with the case, even if this is not expected to lead to changes that could benefit the complainant. The decision to reject a case is made by the ombudsman or the senior staff acting on his authority. The decision to reject a case is final.
Complaints frequently have a favourable outcome for the complainant.
The mere fact that the ombudsman is involved in an issue, can influence developments. If the complaint involves a failure to reply to a communication, an enquiry lodged with the ombudsman for public administration may prompt the authorities into action. Sluggish treatment of a case can also be speeded up by the ombudsman if there are no genuine grounds for the delay. In many cases that the ombudsman deals with, there is no apparent cause for criticism on either factual or legal grounds of the decision made nor for the treatment of the case. In such cases the ombudsman will provide the complainant with a more detailed account of the reasons for his viewpoint.