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14 December 2007
The Ombudsman’s report, The introduction of the ban on swill feeding, published today, contains the results of my investigation into the complaint made by Associated Swill Users (ASU), on behalf of all their members, against the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in relation to the introduction of the ban on swill feeding, following the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in 2001. Although the complaint is not upheld, it seemed that the level of interest in the subject matter, and in particular the link to the outbreak of FMD, meant that it was important that the report in its entirety should be put into the public domain.
Read the full report here
The Principles for Remedy were published on 11 October 2007, following a consultation that took place in March 2007. The report of that consultation can be found here. The Principles for Remedy flow from, and should be read with, the Principles of Good Administration published March 2007.
9 October 2007
In her second special report on tax credits, Tax Credits: Getting it wrong?, published today, the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, says that despite the considerable improvements which HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has made in their administration of tax credits since her last report in 2005, it still has a very long way to go.
Read the report here
Read the press release here
1 August 2007
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman have today been granted new powers which will improve and streamline the way they work together on complaints that cross the boundaries between their jurisdictions.
A new Regulatory Reform Order means that, for the first time, the Ombudsmen can share information, carry out joint investigations and issue joint reports on cases which are relevant to more than one of them.
Read the press release here
Read the fact sheet here (pdf)
19 July 2007
Our Annual Report Putting principles into practice is now available online. In it the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, calls for public bodies to put the customer at the centre of public services, using her six Principles of Good Administration as a guide.
The Ombudsman launched the Principles in March. They are “broad statements of what I believe bodies within my jurisdiction should do to deliver a high standard of customer service.”
The Ombudsman reported on 2,502 investigations over the year ending 30 March 2007, of which 1,363 related to government departments, agencies and public bodies, and 1,139 to health services. The report highlights cases where departments have given confusing guidance or inadequate information, where delays have caused injustice, and where there have been persistent errors and poor complaint handling.
Read the Ombudsman’s Annual Report here.
Read the press release here
27 March 2007
The Principles of Good Administration were published on 27 March 2007, following a consultation that took place at the end of 2006. The report of that consultation can be found here.
30 July 2006
PASC criticises government on the pensions promise—and warns about constitutional threat to the Ombudsman
In its report published 30th July 2006, ‘The Ombudsman in Question: The Ombudsman’s report on pensions and its constitutional implications’ (HC 1081), the Public Administration Select Committee criticises the government for breaking the 'pensions promise' and failing to respond appropriately to the Ombudsman's report on the issue.
The Ombudsman published her report Trusting in the Pensions Promise: Government bodies and the security of final salary occupational pensions in March 2006.
The Government rejected both the finding of maladministration and her recommendation that the Government should consider whether it should make arrangements for the restoration of full pensions to those affected.
Link to PASC report (www)
20 July 2006
Far eastern civilian internees: MOD-commissioned report reveals shortcomings in operation of ex-gratia scheme.
The report of the investigation into the problems encountered by the MOD scheme to compensate far eastern civilian internees is published today. This written statement is made by Tom Watson, Veterans Minister.
Final report.doc
Annex A Chronology final report.doc
Annex B Analysis final report.doc
Read the Ombudsman's report, A Debt of Honour
13 July 2006
Ombudsman calls for more constructive government response to her reports
Ann Abraham, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, today criticises a number of government departments for taking a negative and defensive approach to her investigations. In her 2005-06 annual report, Making a Difference, Ms Abraham praises some other departments for engaging constructively with her, and says that her investigations into maladministration can be used by government as a “powerful lever for reform”.
Ms Abraham today reported on the 3,606 investigations carried out by her office in the year ending 30 March 2006. More >>
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April 2006
A new approach to the handling of complaints relating to tax credits
From 1 April 2006 the Parliamentary Ombudsman will only investigate those complaints against the Tax Credit Office of HM Revenue and Customs that have either exhausted the Revenue’s complaints procedure, cases which raise new issues we feel need exploring, or cases where there are other issues that would make a referral to the Tax Credit Office and/or the Adjudicator’s Office inappropriate. All other cases received after 1 April 2006 will be referred back to those Offices to be investigated and resolved. More information about the new approach and the reasons behind it, can be found in the explanatory note.
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