united kingdom

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is an independent body created by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009. Its role is to scrutinise issues relating to allowances for members of the House of Lords and House of Commons. It was set up in the wake of the 2009 MPs expenses scandals. Its website provides information on its aims, function, remit and membership. It includes press releases, minutes of board meetings, a copy of the expenses scheme and other relevant documents.

TheyWorkForYou.com

TheyWorkForYou.com is maintained by a group of volunteers in order for members of the public to be able to easily access information about the work and parliamentary activity of their local MP. It offers a searchable database of Hansard parliamentary debates. Users may enter a postcode or MPs name to retrieve all speeches and questions by him or her from 1988 to date. Information is taken from Hansard. Other features of the site include news of recent important debates and a glossary of parliamentary terms.

Waterways Ombudsman

Website of the Waterways Ombudsman the body that investigates complaints about British Waterways and their subsidiaries once British Waterways’ own complaints procedure has been exhausted. There is information on making a complaint and guidance on how complaints are handled. Annual reports are provided in full text and include summaries of decisions taken by the Waterways Ombudsman. Other documentation, such as standards and policies, is also provided on the site.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

The Parliamentary Ombudsman investigates complaints about the action or inaction of British government departments. They also handle some issues brought by members of the public. Additionally the department performs the role of Health Service Ombudsman, investigating complaints from the public about failures in NHS care and treatment. The website offers a summary of its duties and information for the general public on when to use the ombudsman service and how to make a complaint. An additional feature is the full-text annual reports, investigation reports and consultation documents.

Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales (PPO) responds to complaints about conditions and treatment from prisoners and people subjected to probation orders. Its website provides information on the function and current activities of the ombudsman. It includes access to recent annual reports, case digest newsletters, fatal incident reports, special investigation reports and surveys and research reports. Also provided is user information on how to file a complaint and a listing of related internet sites on the topic of prisons.

Financial Ombudsman

The Financial Ombudsman Service oversees the UK financial industry and resolves individual complaints against specific organisations. It covers financial services such as insurance, mortgages, investments and credit. Its website provides information for consumers and businesses, together with a database of the Ombudsman's decisions (or 'determinations') from April 2012 onwards.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

The Local Government Ombudsman investigates complaints of injustice and misadministration by local authorities and all adult social care providers (including care homes and home care agencies) in England. It includes such areas as housing, education, consumer services, social services and council tax. Its website describes the role of the ombudsman and provides information for the public on how to file a complaint. Annual reports from 1995/96 onwards are available along with a digest of cases considered.

Independent Complaints Reviewer

The Independent Complaints Reviewer provides a complaints review service for the following public bodies: the Land Registry; the Audit Commission; the Charity Commission; the Homes and Communities Agency; the National Archives; the Northern Ireland Youth Justice Agency and the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. The site has guidance to making a complaint, background information on each organisation and copies of their annual reports. The Independent Complaints Reviewer will only investigate complaints once they have been exhausted by the organisation’s internal complaints procedures.

Ombudsman Says

The Ombudsman Says website is a joint initiative of HouseMark and the ombudsman schemes dealing with housing issues: the Housing Ombudsman Service; Local Government Ombudsman; Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. The site provides free access to case digests for the housing sector. Case digests can be browsed by ombudsman service, topic or type of tenure. Topics include tenancy management, adaptations, anti-social behaviour, housing benefit, repairs and rent and service charges. The cases can also be searched by keyword.

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