ABSTRACT
A good many changes have taken place, of course, since the 1970 survey was carried out, both in the Parliamentary Commissioner Scheme and in the United Kingdom Ombudsman arrangements generally. In 1973 provision was made for a Health Service Commissioner. Local Commissioners for Administration were appointed for England and Wales in 1974 and for Scotland in 1975. In 1987 a wide range of non-departmental public bodies were brought within the Commissioner’s remit. The passing years, however, seem to have done little to raise the standing of the Parliamentary Commissioner scheme in the eyes of the MPs. Research conducted in 1989 indicated that only 19 per cent of MPs then surveyed found the Parliamentary Commissioner ‘very useful’; whereas 67 per cent regarded the Office as ‘only slightly useful’ and 11 per cent considered it ‘not at all useful’.32
