Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-02-Speech-2-425"
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"en.20080902.32.2-425"2
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"Mr President, I should like to thank everyone who has stayed back tonight and participated in this debate, and also the Commissioner for his response to the debate. His acknowledgement that there were, in fact, exceptional delays, and that it was not, perhaps, appropriate that that delay should occur, is welcome.
Nevertheless, there is still a difference of opinion between the Committee on Petitions and the Ombudsman on the Commission’s interpretation of its right not to deal with a complaint when it considers that it should not. We are of the view that this discretion does not extend to an eight-year delay, which is what we are talking about here.
I welcome the fact that the Commissioner has announced the publication of a report within two months which will outline the compliance of all of the Member States, including as regards the particular complaint that we are dealing with here tonight.
I believe that earlier action by the Commission could well have driven earlier change in the Working Time Directive, and might perhaps have resulted in forestalling, at an earlier date, the risks which patients and, indeed, doctors and nurses in the health service in our hospitals have run over these years, where they have been working and on call for anything up to 100 hours a week.
I think the dispute on this issue highlights the weakness of the current infringement procedures, and the manner in which political considerations as well as resource considerations can come into play on sensitive issues, which should be dealt with in accordance with the law rather than in accordance with political sensitivities.
Finally, it has to be said that normally complaints of this kind are dealt with between the Ombudsman and the agency, the Commission or indeed the Council, against whom complaints have been made. It is very rare that we have to deal with this matter in this House. It is a rare occasion that this House is asked to endorse the decision of the Ombudsman against the Commission. It is a cause of deep regret for me that we have to do this but, unfortunately, that is the case.
Therefore, I would like the Commissioner at some point to indicate, concede and acknowledge that he has accepted that the delay was not acceptable; I would also like to hear from him a commitment that some procedures will be put in place to ensure that complaints will never again be allow to run to this length of time."@en1
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