Ombudsman meaning

What steps should be taken before instructing an enforcement agent?...

In this issue: Electricity and gas market regulation and licensing Networks and grid connections Renewable energy Capacity Market, balancing services and system flexibility Air emissions, efficiency and climate change International energy Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Energy resources on Lexis+® Electricity and gas market regulation and licensing DESNZ has opened a consultation to strengthen Energy Ombudsman (EO) powers. It will concentrate on complaints from domestic energy suppliers, small enterprise complaints against non-domestic suppliers, and heat network complaints. Electricity and gas networks and third-party intermediaries will instead be consulted on separately. The plans include shortening the escalation period for complaints from eight to four weeks, allowing automatic compensation where EO decisions are not put into effect promptly, and granting the EO a statutory designation. DESNZ has also stated that Ofgem will regulate third‑party intermediaries, including energy brokers and price comparison sites, which have previously operated...

In this issue: Investigating criminal conduct Decision to prosecute and alternatives to prosecution Sentencing Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Cybercrime and data protection offences Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Food safety and hygiene offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Investigating criminal conduct Whistleblowing in the UK—Still a long road ahead Rahman Ravelli’s legal director, Dr Angelika Hellweger, together with associate, Tatiana Novikova, examine how the UK handles whistleblowing. They map out the present UK statutory position and other relevant mechanisms, assess the scope of the safeguards they afford, and set these against the options open to whistleblowers in the United States of America. They also describe the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) whistleblower reward initiative announced near the end of 2025,...

Original news Mr T (CAS-64304-R5R1)—14 April 2025 Summary The Pensions Ombudsman dismissed a complaint concerning the distribution of death benefits from a pension scheme. It concluded the scheme administrator’s decision was reasonable, neither irrational nor perverse. The complainant was not named in a supposed will—which was invalid as it lacked witnesses—and was the sole beneficiary of the late member’s estate. Before deciding, the administrator carried out extensive enquiries. This outcome serves as a reminder that trustees and administrators of pension schemes should undertake appropriate enquiries when determining death benefit payments. What were the facts? Mr S was a member of the AJ Bell You Invest Self invested Personal Pension Plan (the Scheme). Following his death, he was survived by, among others, Mr T. Mr T had entered into a civil partnership with Mr S...

Your complaints handling framework (see Practice Note: How to implement and maintain effective complaints handling procedures—law firms) should reflect the scale and character of your firm. Recognise that some circumstances will call for a more bespoke response, while still being managed within your overall complaints processes. This How-to-guide highlights examples where additional factors may need attention beyond those covered by your standard complaints handling framework... Complaints about the bill Concerns about bills arise fairly often. You must handle a billing complaint in exactly the same manner as any other complaint. The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has issued guidance on Complaints about legal costs, having identified recurring themes. Although aimed particularly at matters funded by conditional fee agreements, it offers a broader view of LeO’s general approach. When assessing cost-related complaints, LeO will consider whether, from the outset, you ensured the client fully grasped what they would, or might, be required to pay. The guidance also sets out LeO’s expectations across a range of scenarios and questions where clarity on...

Complaints are an inherent business risk that cannot be eliminated. The SRA requires firms to maintain a complaints handling procedure, and it is also commercially prudent to ensure matters are managed and resolved effectively. Two essential elements of a robust procedure are: an external, client-facing complaints policy—see Precedent: External complaints policy—law firms an internal complaints handling procedure for receiving, logging, investigating and resolving concerns—see Precedent: Internal complaints handling procedure—law firms This How-to-guide delivers practical advice on implementing and sustaining complaints handling procedures, incorporating best practice from the Legal Ombudsman (LeO). For regulatory obligations on complaint handling, see Practice Note: Complaints—law firms. There are separate How-to-guides covering: How to handle a complaint step by step—law firms How to manage complaints raising additional considerations—law firms How to handle a complaint referred to the Legal Ombudsman—law firms Key features of your internal complaints handling procedure The design of your internal procedure will depend on your...

This How-to-guide is designed for law firms. It delivers practical advice and best-practice pointers on dealing with complaints, including how to improve the likelihood that a complaint escalated to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) is concluded by LeO’s Early Resolution team. Separate How-to-guides also address: How to implement and maintain effective complaints-handling procedures—law firms How to manage complaints involving additional considerations—law firms How to handle a complaint referred to the Legal Ombudsman—law firms Complaints handling procedure stages Keep your procedure as streamlined as possible. It must, at a minimum, cover three core steps: acknowledgement preliminary assessment action See: Complaints handling—flowchart. Make sure complainants can see where they sit within your complaints process and what should occur next. Explain plainly what will happen at each point, how long each phase should take, and clearly state who is responsible for each stage. Acknowledging the complaint Effective communication is essential to dealing with a...

[ Insert complainant’s name ] [ Insert complainant’s contact address ] Our reference: [ insert complaint reference number ] Dear [ insert complainant’s name ], I am writing to confirm that my review of your complaint, received on [ insert date complaint received ], has now been completed. 1 Your complaint The particular concerns you raised were: [ insert details ] I carried out the following enquiries: [ insert details ] 2 Our decision Having considered the findings from these enquiries, my conclusion is: [ insert details ] 3 Remedy The remedies I consider suitable are: [ insert details ] Please contact me by [ insert date ] to confirm whether you agree to these proposals. If you accept the proposed remedies, I will arrange for the following to take place: [ insert details ] 4 Complaining to the Legal Ombudsman We have not been able to resolve your complaint through our internal complaints procedure...

1 General information Review date: [ Insert date ] Reviewer(s): [ Insert name(s) ] Period covered by the review: [ Insert time period for the review, e.g. Q1 of 20XX or the last 12 months ] 2 Data Complaint category Total complaints received Total complaints resolved Complaints upheld as justified Complaints referred to LeO Complaints relating to discrimination Conduct: [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] Costs information deficient: [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] Costs excessive: [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] Criminal activity: [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ] [ Insert number ]...

1 General information Review period [ Insert review period ] Review date [ Insert date ] Individual(s) undertaking the review [ Insert name(s) ] 2 Complaints Total complaints received [ Insert number ] Complaints referred to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) [ Insert number ] Complaints resolved [ Insert number ] Observed trends/patterns [ Insert details ] 3 Indemnity claims Potential indemnity claims logged [ Insert number ] Potential claims reported to the professional indemnity insurer [ Insert number ] Open claims total [ Insert number ] Estimated global value of open claims [ Insert value ] Observed trends/patterns [ Insert details ] 4 File audit/review data Total file reviews completed [ Insert number ] Files requiring remedial action [ Insert number ] Noted trends/patterns [ Insert details ] 5 ...