Who is the Ombudsman?

The Ombudsman deals with complaints from people who want to complain about maladministration by government departments and public bodies in Northern Ireland. The Ombudsman is a free service. He is completely independent of the organisations he investigates. All complaints are treated in strict confidence.

Who can the Ombudsman investigate?

The Ombudsman can investigate government departments and public bodies in Northern Ireland. For example:

the Housing Executive,
housing associations,
Health and Social Care Trusts,
local council environmental health departments.

You can also download a list of organisations the Ombudsman can investigate.

Contact the Office of the Ombudsman if you are unsure whether he can investigate the organisation you want to complain about. If he can't investigate your complaint he will give you advice about who you can complain to.

What can the Ombudsman investigate?

The Ombudsman can investigate if you have experienced problems because of maladministration. Maladministration means poor administration of the rules, or wrong application of the rules. For example:

avoidable delay,
faulty procedures or failing to follow correct procedures,
not telling you about any rights of appeal you have,
unfairness, bias or prejudice,
giving advice which is misleading or inadequate,
refusing to answer reasonable questions,
failure to apologise properly for errors,
mistakes in handling your claims.

The Ombudsman can only investigate discretionary decisions if:

there is evidence of maladministration in the decision making process,
the decision is so unreasonable that no reasonable person would have made it.

Is there anything the Ombudsman can't investigate?

The Ombudsman usually won't be able to investigate if:

the action took place more than 12 months ago,
you could take your case to a tribunal,
you could take your case to court,
the complaint is about government policy,
the complaint is about legislation,
he believes that the action was reasonable.

If the Ombudsman can't investigate your complaint you will be told why. Contact the Office of the Ombudsman if you are unsure if he can investigate your complaint.

What can the Ombudsman do for me?

If the Ombudsman decides that your complaint was justified he can recommend that the organisation provides a remedy. The Ombudsman can't force the organisation to carry out his recommendations, but the organisations usually follow them. Contact an advice agency for more information if the organisation doesn't carry out his recommendations.

The Ombudsman can't get you compensation. However, he will try to get the organisation to put you in the position you would have been if you had been treated fairly. This may mean a payment but usually means an apology. The Ombudsman may also tell the organisation to improve its procedures.