§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for reviewing the local government ombudsman service; and if he will make a statement. [29855]
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesWe have today appointed Sir Geoffrey Chipperfield to carry out a fundamental review of the Commission for Local Administration in England. The review, which is part of a programme of reviews of bodies sponsored by the Department, will be conducted in two stages. During the first stage, Sir Geoffrey will consider fundamental questions about the necessity for the Commission and the functions it undertakes. Depending on the results of that stage, Sir Geoffrey will then look in more detail at the commission's internal organisation and procedures. Sir Geoffrey will report his findings to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and to the commission; he has been asked to do this for stage one by the end of November 1995.
To assist Sir Geoffrey, we are establishing an advisory group on which we are inviting representatives of the local authority associations and citizens advice bureaux to serve; departmental officials and the chairman and secretary of the commission will also serve on the group. In addition, Sir Geoffrey will be seeking comments from a wide range of interested parties, and would welcome written representations from anyone who has views on the Commission and its work.
The local government ombudsman service was established in 1974 to provide independent and impartial investigation of complaints by members of the public who felt that they had suffered injustice because their local council had done something wrong. After 20 years, it is now timely to review the ombudsman's role and the effectiveness of the service provided.