§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many cases were considered by the Local Government Ombudsman in the last year for which figures are available; how many cases were(a) upheld and (b) rejected; what the average time taken was to consider cases; and what the average cost per case was. [137197]
§ Mr. RaynsfordIn 2002–03 the number of complaints on which determinations were made by the Commission for Local Administration in England (Local Government Ombudsman) was 18,376. Of these, 145 cases of maladministration led to the issue of reports, and 3,735 cases led to local settlements being made. In 5,560 cases no or insufficient evidence of maladministration or injustice were found. The rest of the complaints were found to be either premature or outside the Ombudsman's jurisdiction, or else the Ombudsman used his discretion not to pursue the complaint. The average time taken to consider cases was 14.3 weeks and the average cost per complaint was £538.