ICR Office

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What organisations does the ICR office deal with?

The Independent Complaints Reviewer's office looks into complaints about Land Registry, The National Archives, the Charity Commission, the Housing Corporation, the Audit Commission, Land Registers Northern Ireland and the Youth Justice Agency (Northern Ireland).

Each of these public bodies has an established internal complaints procedure. The ICR will usually only consider those complaints that have been fully considered within this procedure. Her role is to take a fresh and impartial look at your complaint should you remain dissatisfied with the organisation's final response.

Further details about how we will deal with your complaint can be obtained from our office or from our leaflet Seeking a Fair Resolution.

Q. How long will it take for the ICR to deal with my complaint?

The ICR will deal with your complaint as quickly as possible, but the length of time it will take can vary from case to case depending on its complexity. Initially we will acknowledge your complaint within one week. The ICR will then consider whether the complaint is a matter that she can investigate. If the ICR cannot look into your complaint or decides not to, you will be told why. Once the ICR is satisfied that she can proceed, she will obtain a formal response to your complaint from the organisation involved. The ICR has the right of full access to any documents and information she considers necessary to enable her to fully investigate your complaint.

If your complaint is found to be justified, the ICR will seek for you an apology and, where appropriate, can recommend action to remedy your complaint. She is able to comment on the handling of any particular matter and can also make recommendations to improve services in the future. Finally, in some cases, the ICR may recommend payment of limited compensation.

Q. Are documents from the ICR's files confidential?

Please note that we may pass on information that you give us to the organisation concerned, so that it can respond fully to your complaint. If there is information that is strictly confidential, you must let us know at the time you provide it.

If you need any specific information from the organisation's files you must make this request to them direct, as we have no authority to release documents to you. The ICR office holds official records on a temporary basis for the sole purpose of conducting our investigation into your complaint. The records are returned at the completion of our investigation.

If you want to see other information or documents from our own files, your request will be considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.

Q. Who will see the ICR's draft report?

This will depend on the circumstances. Most reports are issued in the form of an informal letter. This is not offered for comment before issue, if the evidence informing our review appears to be straightforward. Where this is not the case, or where there is a controversy about the facts, we may ask both you and the organisation concerned to consider and comment upon our summary of the factual background events on which the ICR's decision will be based.

In some cases, and particularly where there is criticism of the organisation coupled with recommendations which can have a wide-reaching effect on its service, we may send the organisation a copy of the draft report before it is issued, so that it can consider the implications of the ICR's recommendations.

When a formal report is prepared, both the organisation and you will have a chance to comment on the draft report before it is finalised.

Q. Are ICR reports confidential?

Investigations into complaints are treated with confidentiality and reports are not made public, however they may be referred to in the ICR's annual reports. All such references will be anonymised.

Q. Can I be sure that the ICR's recommendations will be accepted?

The ICR has wide-ranging rights and powers. Each of the public bodies concerned has agreed to accept all ICR recommendations and take immediate action to implement them. Only in exceptional circumstances will this not happen. In this event, the Chief Executive will write to you and to the ICR giving a full explanation.

Q. What can I do if I am unhappy with the outcome of the investigation into my complaint?

Except for complaints about the Audit Commission, should you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the ICR's review you can ask an MP to refer your complaint to the appropriate Ombudsman service. In the case of Land Registry, the Charity Commission, the Housing Corporation, The National Archives and the Youth Justice Agency, this is the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Further information on this service can be obtained from:

Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Helpline: 0845 015 4033
Website: http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/
E-mail: opca-enqu@ombudsman.org.uk

In the case of Land Registers Northern Ireland, this is the Northern Ireland Ombudsman. Further information on this service can be obtained from:

Office of the Northern Ireland Ombudsman Progressive House
33 Wellington Place
Belfast BT1 6HN

Freephone: 0800 343424
E-mail: ombudsman@ni-ombudsman.org.uk

Q. Is the ICR really independent?

The ICR is neither a civil servant nor an employee of any of the organisations that we investiage complaints about - she operates as an independent consultant. She was initially appointed in 1998 to deal with complaints about Land Registry, following an open competition carried out under public sector principles. Her terms of reference are agreed between the ICR and each organisation concerned, with the objective of ensuring that she can act independently and objectively reach unfettered decisions. They also require the organisations to respect her independence and implement her recommendations.

Q. Who funds the ICR office?

Contributions to the running costs of the ICR's office are made by each organisation for which the service is provided. A financial report is presented annually in the ICR's Annual Report (for Land Registry). You can find this information on our website (Land Registry Annual Report for 2004/2005). This public money is used to support the office and funds our investigations.

Q. Where do the ICR's staff come from?

The ICR's office is usually staffed by seconded officers from organisations we deal with. This means that we have 'in-house' expertise about the way in which your case should have been handled. During their term in office, they are accountable to the ICR for the work that they do and are entirely independent of any other organisation. They are bound by a strict code of confidentiality.

Q. How do I complain about the service provided by the ICR?

If you are not happy with our service at any stage before the conclusion of the review, please telephone or write to us immediately and we will try to resolve any problems. Following the review, if you remain unhappy about the way in which we have conducted the review, rather than with the decision the ICR has made, please let us know. We will acknowledge your complaint within one day of receipt and the ICR will respond to your concerns personally within one week.