Are Service Complaints handled effectively? MPs questions Ombudsman
On Tuesday 24 October, at 10.30, the Defence Committee will hear evidence from Mariette Hughes Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces (SCOAF).
Meeting details
The SCOAF scrutinises how the UK Armed Forces handle Service Complaints. They can help serving personnel make complaints, review the outcome of decisions and investigate allegations of undue delay or maladministration.
The SCOAF said in its 2022 annual report that it was unable to say whether the Service Complaints system was “efficient, effective or fair,” and highlighted poor performance in the areas of flexibility and disadvantage or discrimination. Meanwhile, the SCOAF has identified its own backlog on unallocated cases as being “unacceptable” and having the potential to “create a negative perception of our overall service.”
MPs are likely to examine what factors are holding the Service Complaints system back from being efficient, effective and fair, and how the Ministry of Defence has responded to the Ombudsman’s recommendations. They may also ask whether the Ombudsman currently has all the powers it needs to carry out its functions, including to reduce its own backlog, or whether further reform is required.