Criticism of the Chief Guardian Committee for Eskilstuna and Strängnäs Municipalities for slow processing of a case concerning limited guardianship, and for failing to contact the district court on an unreasonable number of occasions when the deadline for responding to an injunction expired

Summary of the decision: The Chief Guardian Committee for Eskilstuna and Strängnäs Municipalities has processed a case concerning the arrangement of limited guardianship. The Parliamentary Ombudsman notes that at times during the processing of the matter the committee appears to have been completely passive, and that its overall inactivity in the case has caused significant delay. The committee is criticised for its slow processing. The investigation also revealed that the district court has found it necessary to remind the committee to submit an opinion on multiple occasions. The Parliamentary Ombudsman states that it is essential that injunctions from the courts are complied with, and criticises the committee for failing to contact the district court on an unreasonable number of occasions when the deadline to respond to an injunction has expired. Furthermore, the Parliamentary Ombudsman notes that the committee’s operations appear to have suffered from significant structural problems for a considerable period of time, and that it has repeatedly been criticised for its processing of cases concerning the arrangement of limited guardianship and shortcomings in its communication with the district court. He is of the opinion that the committee needs to immediately review its procedures and take measures to prevent similar issues arising in future.