The British Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration

Abstract

Discussion of the "redress of grievances" in Britain has not, until recently, distinguished between the control of maladministration in a narrow sense and the review of allegedly unjust or unreasonable decisions which do not result from faulty operation of decision procedures by officials. A distinction of this kind was made by the Whyatt Committee in 1961 and, despite criticism, was embodied in the Labour Government's legislation. The Parliamentary Commissioner Act has been in operation since April 1, 1967. It relates only to injustice caused by maladministration in central government departments, and all complaints must be submitted through the agency of members of the House of Commons. These limitations of scope and purpose remain open to debate. They raise the general question whether Ombudsman machinery should bring scrutiny to bear on complaints which arise from policy and legislative decisions.