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Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

15th Special Report - PHSO Annual Scrutiny 2017–18: Government and PHSO Response to the Committee’s Sixteenth Report

Published 6 September 2019

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2017-18 Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to 16th Report - PHSO Annual Scrutiny 2017/18: Towards a Modern and Effective Ombudsman Service.

This is the government's response, published 6 September 2019.

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

The Government says it will "continue to keep under review" the possibility of a joint committee to scrutinise the draft Public Service Ombudsman Bill, and says it will "consider carefully" the committee's recommendation on own-initiative powers.

  • On pre-legislative scrutiny, the Government describes it as "a valuable process" and says it "is committed, wherever possible, to facilitating" it. It makes no commitment to establish a joint committee, only to keep the possibility "under review".
  • On own-initiative investigation powers and setting local complaint handling standards, the Government "acknowledges" the peer review panel's evidence and the Committee's recommendation. It "will consider carefully" the case made and its "potential implications for the legislation".
  • On complaints handling in the NHS, the Department of Health and Social Care says it is working with the PHSO and others on a good practice framework. It states it "intends to publish the strategy by the end of this year".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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