Menu
10/07/2003
Ombudsman's report slams government departments
The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, has questioned whether she can continue in her post if measures to reduce problems in departmental record-keeping, and poor response times to her queries were not resolved.
Publishing her Annual Report for 2002-03, the Ombudsman, whose remit is to investigate complaints against government departments and other public bodies, said that her Office had dealt with 2,235 complaints, compared with 1,988 in the previous year.
But Ms Abraham felt that in a number of areas she could not fully investigate complaints due to administrative stumbling blocks and a failure within departments to cooperate promptly with her office.
She said: "In an attempt to resolve all this, I initiated discussions at the highest level with the Cabinet Office and the former Lord Chancellor's Department (now the Department for Constitutional Affairs).
"The resulting Memorandum of Understanding, which reminds departments how they should deal with code requests and the requirements of my Office once we begin an investigation, will, I hope, shortly be finalised and disseminated by the Cabinet Office to all the bodies within my jurisdiction.
"If this does not prevent a repetition of the problems we have been experiencing, I shall need to consider whether I can properly continue with this work."
Among the problems highlighted in the report was poor record-keeping by departments.
Ms Abraham said: "Not only does inadequate record keeping - or the inability of some departments to trace any or all of their papers - make it difficult to establish exactly what happened in relation to some complaints, but it also leads to difficulties in communication with members of the public, which gives rise to many of the complaints made to me."
Ms Abraham also criticised the length of time it took some departments to agree to implement her recommendations if she upheld the complaint – this was particularly so when financial redress was involved.
The Ombudsman said that chief culprit was the performance of parts of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - which accounted for a third of all the complaints made to her Office.
A significant number of complaints against Jobcentre Plus involved misleading or incorrect advice about benefit entitlement. Complaints against the Child Support Agency (CSA) included their failure to take effective action to enforce payment by non-resident parents and delays in making maintenance assessments.
(GMcG)
Publishing her Annual Report for 2002-03, the Ombudsman, whose remit is to investigate complaints against government departments and other public bodies, said that her Office had dealt with 2,235 complaints, compared with 1,988 in the previous year.
But Ms Abraham felt that in a number of areas she could not fully investigate complaints due to administrative stumbling blocks and a failure within departments to cooperate promptly with her office.
She said: "In an attempt to resolve all this, I initiated discussions at the highest level with the Cabinet Office and the former Lord Chancellor's Department (now the Department for Constitutional Affairs).
"The resulting Memorandum of Understanding, which reminds departments how they should deal with code requests and the requirements of my Office once we begin an investigation, will, I hope, shortly be finalised and disseminated by the Cabinet Office to all the bodies within my jurisdiction.
"If this does not prevent a repetition of the problems we have been experiencing, I shall need to consider whether I can properly continue with this work."
Among the problems highlighted in the report was poor record-keeping by departments.
Ms Abraham said: "Not only does inadequate record keeping - or the inability of some departments to trace any or all of their papers - make it difficult to establish exactly what happened in relation to some complaints, but it also leads to difficulties in communication with members of the public, which gives rise to many of the complaints made to me."
Ms Abraham also criticised the length of time it took some departments to agree to implement her recommendations if she upheld the complaint – this was particularly so when financial redress was involved.
The Ombudsman said that chief culprit was the performance of parts of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - which accounted for a third of all the complaints made to her Office.
A significant number of complaints against Jobcentre Plus involved misleading or incorrect advice about benefit entitlement. Complaints against the Child Support Agency (CSA) included their failure to take effective action to enforce payment by non-resident parents and delays in making maintenance assessments.
(GMcG)
Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
24 June 2005
Complaints watchdog tells NHS 'improve complaints handling'
The Healthcare Commission has told the NHS that it needs to improve the handling of patient complaints. The Commission, which handles complaints that the NHS cannot resolve, made the comment as it published figures which indicated that the NHS were not doing enough to resolve grievances locally.
Complaints watchdog tells NHS 'improve complaints handling'
The Healthcare Commission has told the NHS that it needs to improve the handling of patient complaints. The Commission, which handles complaints that the NHS cannot resolve, made the comment as it published figures which indicated that the NHS were not doing enough to resolve grievances locally.
09 November 2010
Interim Chair of IPCC Appointed
An Interim Chairman has been appointed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the Home Office has announced. Len Jackson, a former Deputy Chairman, will act as interim Chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) pending a permanent replacement following the resignation of former Chairman, Nick Hardwick.
Interim Chair of IPCC Appointed
An Interim Chairman has been appointed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the Home Office has announced. Len Jackson, a former Deputy Chairman, will act as interim Chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) pending a permanent replacement following the resignation of former Chairman, Nick Hardwick.
18 October 2013
Complaints Lodged Over Home Office Illegal Immigrants Texts
More than 140 complaints have been made against the Home Office over text messages were sent wrongly accusing the recipients of being illegal immigrants. According to reports some 40,000 people have received the Home Office text message accusing them of not having the right to live in the UK.
Complaints Lodged Over Home Office Illegal Immigrants Texts
More than 140 complaints have been made against the Home Office over text messages were sent wrongly accusing the recipients of being illegal immigrants. According to reports some 40,000 people have received the Home Office text message accusing them of not having the right to live in the UK.
15 September 2003
Out of hours GP service sees big rise in complaints
Complaints about treatment provided by GPs outside normal working hours have risen significantly over the past seven years, according to new figures published by the Medical Defence Union (MDU).
Out of hours GP service sees big rise in complaints
Complaints about treatment provided by GPs outside normal working hours have risen significantly over the past seven years, according to new figures published by the Medical Defence Union (MDU).
14 January 2015
Coventry City Council Ordered To Apologise To Company And Director
Coventry City Council has been found to have conducted an "unreasonable campaign" against a company and its director. The Local Government Ombudsman ruled that the council had committed "maladministration with injustice" as it upheld three complaints brought by Open Doors and its director John Kavangh.
Coventry City Council Ordered To Apologise To Company And Director
Coventry City Council has been found to have conducted an "unreasonable campaign" against a company and its director. The Local Government Ombudsman ruled that the council had committed "maladministration with injustice" as it upheld three complaints brought by Open Doors and its director John Kavangh.
-
Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:A dry night, save for a few light showers around the coasts, with prolonged clear spells and light winds bringing a frosty dawn for many in central and southern parts. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
