Guidelines for public bodies
The Ombudsman expects that Public Bodies will have well developed complaints handling procedures in place which makes that where any faults are identified, the public body will move swiftly to make good its mistake and take the appropriate action to ensure that those mistakes do not recur.
The Ombudsman publishes guidelines for public bodies in order to support them in the provision of their services.
The Ombudsman's guide to setting up and operating an internal complaints system.
The purpose of this guide is to help public bodies to provide a first-class service to their customers. The guide draws on this Office's experience of examining complaints against the public service, and highlights the key elements of good public administration.
Where a person has been wronged by a public body, that body should provide appropriate redress. This leaflet gives very broad proposals on the provision of redress to help public servants develop a consistent approach towards remedies.
The Guide was originally published by the Ombudsman with the Annual Report for 1996, and this updated version was published as an insert to the 2002 Annual Report.