Ombudsman Services - Trust. (669)

To the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary / Chair of Ombudsman Services.

For Clarity - Attempt 669.

669. Ombudsman Services - Trust.

Dear Mr Clark and Lord Tim Clement Jones,

"While the UK attacks whistleblowers, the EU is defending them - that is until Brexit happens." Jean Lambert's view on whistleblowers' rights are shared by many both in the UK and the rest of Europe - they need defining and defending.

It is extraordinary that workers employed by ombudsman schemes within the British and Irish remit are not trusted by those running them and as a result are denied their right to the protection that a whistleblowing policy would give them.

None of the major political parties seem to have a clear policy on the human right of workers to freedom of expression.

Once we firmly take back control it looks very much like the book (and anything else that comes to hand) will be thrown at those individuals courageous enough to put their head above the parapet, climb out of the particular trench they happen to be working in and blow the whistle.

"Since 1 January 2014, EU institutions have been obliged to introduce internal whistleblowing rules concerning the protection of whistleblowers, the provision of information to them and the procedure for handling complaints made by whistleblowers concerning the way they are treated. To ensure that the EU administration is doing all in its power to encourage individuals who become aware of serious misconduct or wrongdoing to speak up, the Ombudsman opened an own-initiative inquiry .....responses show that much more needs to be done to demonstrate to the public and to potential whistleblowers that the EU institutions welcome whistleblowing and encourage whistleblowers to step forward, that whistleblowers will be protected against negative action by the institutions for which they work, and that reporting will lead to a proper investigation."

(www.ombudsan.europa.eu/cases/summary.faces/eu/59134)

At more or less the same time the European Ombudsman was encouraging whistleblowers,  the British and Irish Ombudsman Association (BIOA) - now rebranded The Ombudsman Association (OA) was adopting the example set by Ombudsman Services and discouraging its workforce from speaking up. It did this by removing the obligation for member ombudsman schemes to have a whistleblowing policy. 

Serious misconduct and wrongdoing was now free to continue unreported. It will now take an exceptional individual to challenge that.

Q. Lord Tim Clement Jones, if ombudsman schemes such as yours do not trust its workforce why should consumers trust its executives?

Q. Lord Tim Clement Jones, does this explain why some complainants - you don't say how many - believe that your best is simply not good enough?

Pam Bartlett Quintanilla is campaigning for,

"EU-wide legislation that would protect whistleblowers in all areas of EU competence. This is because we want citizens across Europe to be able to speak up about environmental crises, human rights violations and any other wrongdoing without fear of reprisal."

Q. Mr Clark, your department has a close and continuing relationship with Ombudsman Services, isn't an ombudsman arriving at decisions in an illogical manner not a form of, "wrongdoing?"

Q. Mr Clark, haven't those complainants who received a decision that was not arrived at in an illogical manner, had their human rights violated?

Q. Mr Clark, isn't the maladministration of consumers' complaints a violation of their right to a fair and independent investigation of their complaint and how are those responsible for such instances of maladministration able to act without fear of reprisal?

Pam Bartlett Quintanilla goes on to say,

"For us, whistleblowing is an issue that goes far beyond money or budgets, its a fundamental human right. Whistleblowers exercise their freedom of expression, and by doing so they guarantee the public's right to freedom of information. It's also a question of workers' rights, which cannot be reduced to monetary arguments."

(www.whistleblowerprotection.eu)

If like us, you believe in workers' rights, freedom and justice please go to Pam Bartlett Quintanilla's website and sign her petition.

Yours sincerely,

Steve Gilbert - Workstock Number - 510458.

The Ombudsmans61percent Campaign is at: ww.blogger.com and www.facebook.com - Ombudsmans Sixtyone-percent.