The Ombudsman Institution - Deterrent Against Injustice? (503)

To the Business Secretary:
For Clarity - Attempt 503.

503) Critics of the Ombudsman System: Understanding and Engaging Online Citizen Activists. Naomi Creutzfeldt and Chris Gill.

3. The Ombudsman Institution - No Deterrent Against Injustice.

Dear Mr Clark,

Trident has proven to be no deterrent, whatsoever, against the illogical decisions and maladministration of Ombudsman Services that have been raining down on defenceless complainants in ever increasing numbers since it launched its campaign of co-called, "civil justice" back in 2008.

Since then, consumers' Human Rights have been under constant daily attack with governmental knowledge and approval.

Point 5 of Naomi Creutzfeltd and Chris Gill's Executive Summary states,
"Many of the issues raised by the ombudsman watchers touch upon important and widely recognised dilemmas for the ombudsman institution. These matters are likely to continue to be controversial and, perhaps, require a clearer and more coherently developed position amongst the wider ombudsman community."

A major dilemma for the Ombudsman Property:Service ombudsman is that being sat in the pocket of RICS it's extremely difficult for that individual to actually see what's going on.

Another dilemma for the ombudsman is that the RICS Memorandum of Understanding with its "appointed" company and its close monitoring of what it deems to be, "the effective resolution of disputes" leaves its, "appointed" ombudsman totally lacking in independence.

Added to that, the wider ombudsman community - in the guise of the Ombudsman Association - is that the CEO and Chief Ombudsman of Ombudsman Services happens to be its Chairman. The Ombudsman Association once had as on of the requirements for club membership the need for member schemes to have a whistleblowing policy. Ombudsman Services doesn't have a whistleblowing policy and, strange to say, now no longer does the Ombudsman Association.

We wrote to the Ombudsman Association to ask them why they no longer had having a whistleblowing policy as a requirement for membership but still had the Ombudsman Service CEO and Chief Ombudsman as its chairmen.

We didn't get a reply.

Ombudsman Services do not answers consumers' questions. The Ombudsman Association do not answer consumers' questions about its member ombudsman schemes failing to answer consumers' questions.

An Ombudsmans61percent recommend:
- Just as drivers and their passengers are required to wear seat belts so all ombudsman schemes must, by law, have a whistleblowing policy.

Q. Mr Clark, when ombudsmen do not answer consumers' questions, how is this in any way, "civil justice" and why has government done nothing to deter such undemocratic behaviour?

Yours sincerely,
Steve Gilbert - The Ombudsmans61percent Campaign.