16. Written evidence from Mr Chris
W Drew
PUBLIC SERVICES OMBUDSMAN (WALES) BILL (HL)
COMMENTS FROM
1. I wish to make the following comments
on one aspect of the Bill, specifically the scope and extent of
the work of the Ombudsman.
2. Clause 27 (Listed Authorities) defines
the extent of the remit and drives Schedule 3, the definitive
list of public bodies, as well as providing for how that list
can be amended to reflect changed circumstances.
3. The overall effect of the proposed Schedule
3 is to achieve a worthwhile and comprehensive unification of
Ombudsman coverage within the Welsh public sector.
4. The inclusion of Registered Social Landlords,
and many education, training, arts and leisure agencies and boards
demonstrates a clear intent to ensure that any corporate bodies
that receive large sums of public money should be included.
5. Many of the Schedule 3 bodies not only
receive Government money but also are responsible for distributing
it in accordance with criteria established either by the body
itself or its sponsoring body or department.
6. The above situation can create a system
whereby public money is eventually awarded to organisations that
are not subject to the Ombudsman, thereby losing the "trail"
of accountability.
7. This could be rectified by including
within Schedule 3 some form of enabling authority that made it
possible for any organisation already listed in Schedule 3 to
make grants of public money conditional on that recipient agreeing
for their organisation to be subject to the scrutiny of the Ombudsman—ie
as though they were themselves a Schedule 3 body. It would be
for the awarding body to determine whether such a condition was
in the public interest, based on the nature, purpose and size
of the money granted and the practicality or desirability of such
consequential scrutiny.
8. One by-product of such an amendment would
be to minimise and perhaps even eliminate any need for future
amendments to the Schedule, in that all participants from WAG
downwards could enforce Ombudsman supervision on any organisation
that wished to receive public money.
An Independent Member of North Wales Police Authority
An Independent member of Conwy CBC Standards Committee
A Board Member of North Wales Housing Association
(A Registered Social Landlord)
21 January 2005
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