Public services accessible to all audiences? Not really, according to the rights defender who has just published his annual report. The institution notes that “the gap has widened considerably between users and public services”.
An observation which hits hard at the government’s desire to reduce the number of civil servants, by lifting “the taboo of dismissal”, as demanded by the Minister of the Civil Service, Stanislas Guérini.
The harmful effects of dematerialization
Too many civil servants? Users are obviously not of the same opinion as the minister. The rights defender records, in fact, a regular increase (12% in 2023) in complaints concerning users’ relations with the public service.
There are more than 90,000 complaining. Main reason for referral: difficulty accessing these services in the territories. “So many violations of rights that hamper the daily lives of thousands of people,” denounces the institution. Public services have become distant from users due to excessive dematerialization, closures of counters and placing the administrative burden on users. »
According to the report, “dematerialization must be a complementary offer which must not replace the counter, paper mail or the telephone which retains all its importance as a direct link”. There are also administrative delays. “The delays are sometimes very long for people who are in precarious circumstances,” notes Anne-Claire Grandjean, head of the regional center for the rights defender.
A deterioration of telephone services
A telephone survey was carried out last year with Social Security (CPAM), the family allowance fund (CAF), Pôle emploi (now France Travail) and the Retirement and Occupational Health Insurance Fund (Carsat). The result is quite edifying: 40% of calls are unsuccessful and the average waiting time exceeds nine minutes, the report shows.
This study also shows that the rate of satisfactory answers to a question never exceeds 60% and that users are “often directed to the websites of organizations, even those who had indicated that they did not have the Internet or had difficulty accessing it.” use it.”
“With the closure of counters and the difficulty in reaching someone on the phone, users no longer know where to turn when they encounter a problem,” laments Anne-Claire Grandjean.
What are the recommended solutions?
“The creation of the France services spaces system makes it possible to bridge this gap in the population/public services link but still imperfectly responds to all the difficulties encountered by users,” the rights defender also points out in his report.
For Anne-Claire Grandjean, we need to “give back some humanity to these services” and “demonstrate more pedagogy” to improve the situation. “We feel a progressive disintegration of all humanization, particularly in sending mail or e-mail,” she indicates.
If the responses or notifications are legally justified, “the role of a public service is also to make its decisions understood by taking the time to explain,” she continues. There would be less litigation and that would gain more legitimacy.”