§ Ms. HodgeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policy and procedures exist for dealing with complaints against his Department by members of the public; when his Department last updated its policy; what time limit and target for dealing with such complaints his Department has; and what follow-up procedure exists where complainants are not satisfied with his Department's response to a complaint. [26218]
§ Mr. HowardThere are various arrangements for dealing with complaints in different parts of the Department. These involve a range of time limits and targets. For example, the UK Passport Agency aims to deal fully with all problems raised within 15 working days, or to acknowledge them within five working days if they are not straightforward, and the Immigration and Nationality Department aims to respond within eight weeks of receiving a complaint.
The IND complaints system is monitored by an independent Complaints Audit Committee, which ensures that procedures are working effectively. The leaflets on complaints procedures produced by the Passport Agency and by IND make it clear that complainants who are not satisfied with the response they receive can raise the matter with the Home Office Minister responsible for the service, or with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.