Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Recommendation 8

Seventh report - Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2019–20 Published 25 Jan 2021 Paragraph 29

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2019-20 All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Recommendation (the committee's words)

It is necessary for complaints to the PHSO to be time-limited, as there needs to be some level of certainty about when matters that could potentially be complained about can no longer be taken forward. However, the Committee’s view is that if an organisation cannot demonstrate that it has informed complainants in good time of their ability to refer a complaint to the PHSO, then this should be a material consideration in whether the Ombudsman decides to use his discretion to investigate the complaint despite being out-of-time under the legislation. The PHSO should report to the Committee annually about the number of cases that have been “timed out” and how often and why the Ombudsman’s discretion has been used.

From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Seventh report - Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2019–20 (HC 843), paragraph 29, 25 January 2021

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 20 April 2021 (deadline 25 March 2021).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government's response addresses only the recommendation on legislative reform of the Ombudsman, stating that there are "no plans to reform the Ombudsman system up to and including 2023–24" while it will "carefully consider the committee's findings and any future opportunities".

The Government "appreciates the desire of PACAC to modernise Ombudsman standards and agrees that this is an important matter".
It gives the pressures on Government and the parliamentary timetable as the reason the 2016 Bill "has not progressed".
The Minister's letter covers only recommendation nine, which falls under Cabinet Office responsibility. The PHSO responds separately to the remaining recommendations.
The PHSO states that from the end of April 2021 it will start publishing casework decisions online.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error