Annex A
Summary results of the survey of Members of Parliament
on the work of the Ombudsman
Introduction
This summary sets out the results of a survey conducted
jointly by the Public Administration Select Committee and the
Office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (OPHSO)
during June and July 2004 into the work of the Ombudsman.
The survey was conducted as part of the Office's
commitment to the creation of a modern and responsive Ombudsman
service and is one component of a broad range of stakeholder research.
The last survey of MPs was conducted in 1993.
Two hundred and seven MPs out of 657 surveyed returned
completed forms representing a 32% response rate. This compares
to 50% or 333 MPs in 1993.
MP filter
When asked whether the MP filter should be removed
134 MPs (66%) said it should. In 1993 the response was nearly
half that figure at 38%.
Direct communications with complainants
Respondents were asked whether, in the absence of
removal of the MP filter, they favoured direct communication between
OPHSO and the complainant once the referral had been made. The
results were:
- in favour of direct communication: 35 (16%)
- in favour of direct communication with a copy
to the MP: 147 (71%)
- against direct communication: 24 (12%)
Awareness of Ombudsman's role and jurisdiction
Seventy per cent of respondents said that they were
'very clear' or 'quite clear' about the role and jurisdiction
of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, with seven per cent saying they
were 'not very clear' or 'unclear'. The figures for the Health
Service Ombudsman were 70% and 24% respectively.
The majority of respondents (170, 87%) used the Ombudsman's
leaflets either 'regularly' or 'sometimes' more than they used
her website (94, 45%) or her telephone advice line (89, 43%).
Ombudsman's work and performance
In general the Ombudsman's work is viewed positively
with 179 MPs (86%) saying her Office was either 'very' or 'quite'
successful. Twenty-three (11%) said her work was `not very successful'.
When asked to what extent MPs agreed with statements
about impartiality, fairness, last resort, speed, value and quality,
respondents provided overwhelmingly positive answers, with the
exception of speed, to which their answers were more mixed.
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