Administrative law
The Public Administration Act features general rules on impartiality, the duty of confidentiality and the duty to provide guidance, among other things. The Act also addresses the duty to investigate, the duty to provide reasons, the duty to give information and the right to appeal or have a decision overturned. In addition, the Act contains rules on how regulations and statutes must be drawn up.
Among other things, the Public Administration Act governs how a municipality or a public administrative body must make decisions. It also gives you as resident clear rights with regard to the public sphere:
- You have the right to be notified about an ongoing case.
- You have the right to seek advice from a lawyer or other trusted individual.
- You have the right (with some exceptions) to see the documents pertaining to your case.
- You have the right to be given reasons for a decision that has been made.
- You have the right to appeal an individual decision.
- In some cases, you may be entitled to a reimbursement of legal costs if the decision is overturned upon appeal.
- You shall be offered help with the appeal by the body that made the decision.
Only decisions that relate to an individual’s rights and obligations are considered “individual decisions”. The County Governor is the administrative appeals body for some types of individual decisions.