621) Ombudsman Services: QUESTION 6 - The OFT "approve" the Ombudsman Services:Property Private Redress Scheme and then fail to monitor it. Good For Business - Bad For Consumers.

To the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary,

and To the Chair, Ombudsman Services.

For Clarity - Attempt 621.

621) QUESTION 6: The OFT "approve" the Ombudsman Services:Property Redress Scheme and then fail to monitor it. Good For Business - Bad For Consumers.

Jeremy Corbyn For Prime Minister.

Dear Mr Clark and Lord Tim Clement Jones,

On behalf of the British taxpayer, this private redress scheme was approved by Jonathan May the Executive Director of the OFT. The civil servants who were supposed to monitor the scheme on behalf of the British taxpayer appear to have gone AWOL shortly after.

We tried asking the previous Chair, Professor Dame Janet Finch the following question but she never replied. So,

Q 6. Lord Tim Clement Jones, how can the OTS's claim that this particular redress scheme will ensure, "fairness" and "transparency" be justified in the light of DJS Research's findings?

Regarding the speed of the process DJS Research show (6.18) 'a quarter  were very dissatisfied with the speed of the process."

(9.14) "Cases often took longer to reach a conclusion than complainants had expected. In actual fact cases tended to last 3 - 6 months or more (71%).'

This is far from speedy yet the OFT has said that the SOS (now rebranded as OS:Property) will ensure it.

The Independent Assessor's 2010 report stated, 'I am aware that the services have experienced high demand and that staffing levels have taken a while to catch up.' It is now clear that complainants, who at such a crucial time financially and emotionally, had turned to this service for help but would have been completely unaware that the investigating Officers were fire-fighting. Why?"

It seems the company's "best efforts" hit the ground and promptly went base over apex.

Q. Mr Clark, slow so-called, "redress" that isn't, "speedy" and is neither, "fair" nor "transparent," is clearly Good For Business.  Are you prepared to assure complainants that when they take their complex and costly property complaints to this private redress that each and every one will receive a, "speedy" "fair" and "transparent" investigation by people who understand the complexity of such complaints?

Yours sincerely,

Steve Gilbert - Workstock number - 510458.