The power to settle financial complaints.
The power to settle financial complaints.
This section answers a number of frequently-asked questions (FAQs) about:
is the ombudsman service a government department?
We are not a government department or "quango" – and our ombudsmen, adjudicators and other staff are not civil servants. Nor are we a trade association, a regulator or a consumer champion.
We are a public body set up by parliament. We carry out statutory functions on a non-commercial, not-for-profit basis.
Our distinctive name of "ombudsman" sets us apart as different and impartial. We meet the criteria for the recognition of ombudsman offices, as set out by the British and Irish Ombudsman Association (BIOA). These criteria are: