The Law Commission has proposed reforms to the way the five public services ombudsmen work
In a report published this week, Public Services Ombudsmen, it claims the procedures for making a complaint about public services are “out of date and inconsistent”.
The proposed reforms include removing statutory requirements that complaints be made in writing; removing the statutory bars that prevent ombudsmen handling complaints that could be dealt with by the courts; and allowing members of the public to complain directly to the Parliamentary Commissioner, as well as through their MP.
The commissioners want a fundamental review of the ombudsmen’s relationship with courts, tribunals, and other justice institutions.
Frances Patterson QC, the law commissioner heading the project, said: “Public services are an everyday fact of life for a great many of us, and it is vital that we are able to seek redress if the services we receive are not what they should be.
“By reforming the way the ombudsmen work, we can improve access to justice for individuals, enable the ombudsmen to modernise how they respond to the public, and make savings for citizens, public bodies and the courts.”
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