State Comptroller and Public Complaints Commissioner Matanyahu Englman published a special follow-up report Wednesday morning on public service in government bodies, examining seven public agencies. The Citizenship and Immigration Authority ranked worst overall, with a score of 63.3, up from 59.2 about two years ago. The Transportation Ministry came second to last, scoring 69.5 versus 75.6 in the previous review, while the Tax Authority placed third with 70, compared with 66.8 before.
The report also found the Transportation Ministry among the lowest scorers in information accessibility on websites and in telephone service centers. Its website information score rose slightly to 63.1 from 59.3, still below this year’s average of 70.7. Its telephone hotline score plunged to 56.8 from 86 last year, against an average of 76.4.
There was some improvement in the ministry’s public reception centers, where the score increased from 73.8 to 75.3 and stood above the 70.9 average. Englman said, “Public servants are obligated to provide excellent, efficient and courteous service to every person.” He added that service quality at some bodies remains far from adequate, especially in telephone hotlines, and urged the Transportation Ministry to “conduct an internal review” after the drop in its hotline score.
Englman said the broader picture showed some improvement in public service across the agencies, but he will continue monitoring it because about one-third of the complaints his office handles each year concern service quality, underscoring how important the issue is for the public.
