23 September 2008

Ms T Ezekpo

Via email ([FOI #2776 email])

Our ref: CS/08/0052/HJP

(Please quote our reference when contacting us)

If telephoning contact Hilary Pook on 020 7217 4734

or if using email send to: [email address]

Dear Ms Ezekpo

Request for information

In your email of 18 September, you asked for an ethnic breakdown of the complainants whose complaints resulted in findings of: `local settlement', `no maladministration', `ombudsman's discretion', and `outside jurisdiction'. I assume you meant this in relation to the figures I had given you previously. You also asked of these complainants, who appealed/complained about the decisions on their complaints. (I refer to these as `challenges' in the table below.) Since 1 January 2001 the figures are as follows:

/…

As you will note from the table, none of the challenges were upheld, but four of the 12 received a further explanation of the Ombudsman's decision on their complaint.

That concludes my response and I hope you find the information useful. If you feel I have not dealt properly with your request, you have the right to appeal and, should you wish to do so, I can supply a copy our internal complaints procedure. You also have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner to determine whether your request has been properly dealt with. You should note however that the Commissioner will not consider any complaint where you have not first exhausted our internal complaints process or where there has been undue delay in contacting him. You will be able to obtain further details of the Information Commissioner's role from the website on www.ico.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Pook (Ms)

Communications and Records Manager

LGO 01 (03/08)