The complaints we dealt with
We assessed 1,194 complaints to establish whether we could or should investigate them. This compares to 1,451 complaints the previous year.
There was also a reduction in the number of complaints and organisations that we formally investigated. We completed a total of 321 investigations into 403 organisations in 2017-18. This compares to 524 investigations into 655 organisations in 2016-17. We also saw a decrease in the percentage of complaints we fully or partly upheld, from 34% to 24%.
Four government departments and their agencies continue to make up around three quarters of our investigations. The Department for Work and Pensions made up around a quarter (24%) of the total, followed by the Home Office (18%), the Ministry of Justice (18%) and HMRC (13%). These organisations deliver public services on a very large scale compared to others in Whitehall.
We have written to the permanent secretaries of these departments to share what our casework says about their organisations. Copies of these letters are available below:
- Letter to the Department for Work and Pensions (PDF 648KB)
- Letter to the Home Office (PDF 391KB)
- Letter to the Ministry of Justice (PDF 470KB)
- Letter to the HM Revenue and Customs (PDF 394KB).
Download a full-break down of the complaints (PDF 1MB) we handled about different government departments and their agencies.