A lack of expertise among civil servants is the public’s biggest bugbear when dealing with national and local government, according to a survey by the national ombudsman.

And four in 10 people said they had problems in getting in touch with officials for everyday issues such as extending a driving licence or applying for a home help.

The main biggest problem, cited by 51% of consumers, was civil servants who did not have the skills to solve problems. Actually finding out who to talk to and the length of time it took for queries to be answered were among the other main complaints.

The ombudsman on Monday launched a campaign to raise awareness of the organisation, which dealt with some 38,000 complaints about government services last year.