ABSTRACT
This chapter explains why there was a need to introduce a Parliamentary Ombudsman. The Parliamentary Ombudsman is appointed by the Crown on the advice of the government, following consultation with the Chairman of the House of Commons' Public Administration Select Committee The post is held 'during good health and behaviour' and is effectively until retirement. By 1983, the office of Parliamentary Ombudsman had been operative for 15 years, and the Ombudsman took the opportunity to review the working of his office in his annual report. The requirement that complaints be made initially to Members of Parliament reinforces the view that the Ombudsman is a supplement to the parliamentary process rather than a substitute. The Departments and matters which the Ombudsman is precluded from investigating are wide ranging. Maladministration is the key concept relating to the Ombudsman's jurisdiction, but it is not defined in the Act.
