About ombudsmen
Ombudsmen exist to deal with complaints from ordinary citizens about certain public bodies or private sector services.
The services provided by ombudsmen are free of charge.
Each ombudsman scheme operates under slightly different rules, but in general an ombudsman does not consider a complaint unless the organisation, business or professional standards body concerned has first been given a reasonable opportunity to deal with it.
If the ombudsman decides to conduct a formal investigation, a written report on the investigation will be issued, and will normally set out the evidence considered by the ombudsman and proposals for resolving the dispute. If a complaint is upheld, the ombudsman will expect the organisation to provide a suitable remedy.
About BIOA
History | Objectives | Activities | Membership
History
The office of Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (Parliamentary Ombudsman) was created in 1967. During the next ten years other public sector ombudsmen were appointed, so that by the end of the 1970s there were parliamentary, health and local government ombudsmen services in each country of the British Isles.
In 1981 the Insurance Ombudsman Bureau, the first private sector ombudsman scheme, was established and over the next few years further private sector schemes were set up. In 2001 a number of voluntary schemes (banking, building societies, insurance and investment) were brought together to form a statutory Financial Ombudsman Service.
In 1991 a conference of ombudsmen from both the public and private sectors was held, at which it was agreed to set up an association for ombudsmen, their staff, and other organisations and individuals, such as voluntary bodies and academics interested in the work of ombudsmen. The Association came into being in 1993 as the United Kingdom Ombudsman Association and became the British and Irish Ombudsman Association when membership was extended to include ombudsmen from the Republic of Ireland in 1994.
Objectives
The objectives are set out in BIOA’s rules.
Activities
- Providing information for the public about ombudsman and complaint handling schemes on the internet.
- Response by the Secretary of the Association to written, telephone and e-mail enquiries about ombudsman services.
- Acting as a focal point for ombudsman schemes, complaint handling bodies and other members of the Association to seek and exchange information.
- Providing advice to organisations considering the establishment of ombudsman services.
- Publishing a newsletter three times each year, containing news about ombudsmen and complaint handling services in the UK, Ireland and overseas, together with topical articles of interest to members of the Association.
- Publishing guidance notes for ombudsmen on relevant topics.
- Convening working groups to consider issues of concern to members of the Association
- Holding a two-day residential conference every two years for members of the Association and others, with plenary sessions and workshops on topical issues relevant to the work of ombudsmen, complaint handling bodies, and others with an interest in complaint handling.
- Holding regular meetings of those concerned with the general management of ombudsman and complaint-handling schemes to exchange views and experiences. Once a year a training seminar is held on current issues.
- Liaising with central government through the Cabinet Office and with other bodies, such as the Lord Chancellor’s Department and the Office of Fair Trading.
Membership
- Voting (full) membership of the Association is open to ombudsman schemes which meet the published criteria for recognition attached to BIOA’s rules (essentially: independence of the Ombudsman from those whom the Ombudsman has the power to investigate; effectiveness; fairness and public accountability). The word “ombudsman” does not have to appear in the title of the scheme.
- Associate membership is open to organisations such as complaint- handling bodies, consumer bodies and trade associations, and to individuals who are interested in and support the objects of the Association and have significant relevant expertise.
- Ordinary
membership is open to the staff of ombudsman schemes which are Voting
members.