Pensions Ombudsman
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The Pensions Ombudsman | |
 | |
| Formation | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-departmental public body of the UK Government |
| Headquarters | 10 South Colonnade, London, United Kingdom |
Pensions Ombudsman | Dominic Harris |
Key people | Deborah Evans (Chair) Robert Loughlin (COO) |
| Employees | 141[1] (2022/23) |
| Website | Official website |
The Pensions Ombudsman is the official ombudsman institution responsible for investigating complaints regarding pensions in the United Kingdom. The Pensions Ombudsman is a non-departmental public body stewarded by the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman are appointed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Ombudsman is an independent commissioner; he and his staff are not civil servants. His brief is to resolve disputes of fact or law and to investigate claims of maladministration.[2] Unusually for UK Ombudsmen, the Pensions Ombudsman's determinations are binding on the parties and enforceable in the County Court. There is a right of appeal to the High Court on a point of law (Court of Session in Scotland and Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland). In England the High Court's permission has to be obtained for an appeal.
Although the first UK Ombudsman, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, was established in 1967, followed by the Insurance Ombudsman and other private sector Ombudsman schemes, the first time the title Ombudsman was used by Parliament was to establish the office of Pensions Ombudsman in 1991.