 that any other steps be taken. The Ombudsman cannot direct remedial action. He may only recommend remedies he considers appropriate to the agencies concerned. In some cases he may also recommend a refund of payment or an ex gratia payment to remedy any financial loss. This year (1 July 2019 – 30 June 2020) has been very trying and testing not only for our Office, but also for Samoa, with the painful measles outbreak in late 2019 and the current SOE lockdown due to the even more devastating COVID-19 pandemic. As an initial precaution, the temporary closure of the Office from late March until mid-April 2020 meant that there were no physical complaints received during this time although we did receive a few complaints via email. When operations did resume the Good Governance (GG) team continued its complaints management through its standard investigations. No own motion investigations or referrals from the Prime Minister or a parliamentary committee were carried out for this period. The following is a breakdown of these complaints:    62% were complaints against public agencies (government ministries and public enterprises) 31% were complaints assessed as out of jurisdiction and referred to the appropriate agency 7% were complaints referred to Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Telephone remains the most common way of initiating contact with the Office. The team measured its complaints management by the timeliness of number of complaints and other contacts finalized within service standards. The duration of an investigation varies depending on the seriousness and complexity of the complaint. For that period, our service standards were as follows: Type of complaint Service standard Early resolution (out of jurisdiction matters or referrals to the appropriate agency to investigate prior the Ombudsman) Complaints requiring further analysis, but not formal investigation Complaints requiring investigation, including engagement with the agency concerned Complex complaints requiring detailed investigation, including multiple engagements with the agency concerned Complaints resulting in a formal report to the agency and minister Within 3 working days Within 14 days Within 90 days Within 180 days Within 12 months The following are a number of highlights achieved (and not achieved) by the Good Governance (GG) team for the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020; Office of the Ombusman/NHRI Samoa Annual Report 2019/20 13