APPENDIX 5

STANDARDS OF SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC

A standard for public enquiries

The Committee receives correspondence on a range of issues from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, academics, other organisations, and the general public.

We are publicly committed to achieving and maintaining target levels of 95 per cent of public correspondence (letters, faxes and emails) responded to within 15 working days. In 2007-08, we responded to 96 per cent of correspondence within 15 working days.

We aim to provide an efficient and effective service for our correspondents. Most of the queries we receive can be dealt with promptly, either by sending one of our publications, a simple letter or perhaps through a telephone call. Occasionally the issues raised require more detailed consideration. Whatever the reason for contacting us we will respond in accordance with the commitments set out below:

• If you write to us we will endeavour to give you a full and clear response within 15 working days

from receipt of your letter. We will ensure that our response is both accurate and appropriate. This service standard applies to all forms of correspondence including e-mails and faxes.

• If we cannot give you a full response within 15 days, we will contact you and let you know the

reasons why this is not possible and indicate when we expect to be in a position to give you a full response. We will also let you have the name and contact number of the person dealing with your query.

• If you contact us centrally by e-mail we will initially acknowledge receipt of your enquiry. Whilst

we recognise that e-mail offers great advantages in terms of speed, many of the queries we receive can be complex requiring careful consideration and advice from a number of sources. We will respond fully within the published service standard for other correspondence.

• We will monitor our performance against this service standard and publish the results.

A standard for telephone calls

• If you ring us we will answer your call promptly, courteously and helpfully. If the person you wish to speak to is not available, we will take a message and arrange for your call to be returned by them or some other suitable person.

• We will assess our performance against this standard and ensure that action is taken to improve standards where this is found to be necessary.

An information standard

• We will provide clear and straightforward information about our services to our customers. This will be available on request including through our helpline and on our website where you will also find our central e-mail addresses.

The Committee also maintains a public enquiry line on Freephone: 0800 692 1516, available 24hrs a day, for ordering copies of its free publications.

Table 3: Replies to Correspondence: Performance Report

Putting things right

A complaint is any written or spoken expression of dissatisfaction with the service that we provide. We aim to ensure that we:

• treat complaints seriously and deal with them properly;

• resolve complaints promptly and informally whenever possible; and

• learn from complaints and take action to improve our service.

What to do if you have a complaint

Formal complaints about the working of the Committee or Secretariat should be addressed in the first instance in writing to: The Secretary, Committee on Standards in Public Life, 35 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BQ.

If you remain unhappy with the Committee's actions, you may ask a Member of Parliament to request that the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Ombudsman) investigate your complaint and how it has been handled.

Details of how to do this may be obtained from:

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

Helpline: 0845 015 4033 or 020 7217 4163
Fax: 020 7217 4160
Email: [email address]

Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk/