Complaints
The UK Commission welcomes the views of its partners and stakeholders about its performance, both positive and negative. This feedback can help us to improve the quality of our work and of our success.
Complaints about the UK Commission
The UK Commission aims to raise UK prosperity and opportunity by helping to develop world-class employment and skills systems in all four UK nations. As a strategic advisory body, the UK Commission has influence, rather than authority. We will only effectively contribute to achieving these goals through the influence of our Commissioners, the quality of our research, the persuasiveness of our argument, the understanding we have of delivery and the effective partnerships we build with other organisations. In short, our success depends entirely on our people.
We also aim to be an open and transparent organisation, and to proactively publish the information that our partners and stakeholders require.
The complaints procedure is in three stages. In the first instance we aim to resolve complaints informally, but where this is not possible complaints will be dealt with formally by one of our Corporate Directors. If you are not satisfied with the response received from a Corporate Director, the final stage of the internal complaints procedure is a review by the Chief Executive.
Stage One – Dealing with a complaint informally
In the first instance, complaints should be made to the Secretariat Team. This can be done via telephone, email or letter using the following contact details:
Secretariat Services
UK Commission for Employment and Skills
Renaissance House
Adwick Park
Wath Upon Dearne
S63 5NB
01709 774800
A response will be made within 10 working days of receipt of your complaint with details of any action the Commission proposes to take in response to your complaint. You will also be advised what to do next if you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint.
Stage Two – Making a formal complaint
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your informal complaint, you will be advised to put your complaint in writing to one of our Directors. This should be sent to:
Senior Leadership Team
UK Commission for Employment and Skills
Renaissance House
Adwick Park
Wath Upon Dearne
S63 5NB
01709 774800
The Corporate Director tasked with handling your complaint will undertake a series of steps to ensure they fully understand the nature of your complaint; to check that stage one of the complaints procedure has been adhered to; decide upon their own findings of the complaint, and to write to you setting out their findings within 15 working days.
Where it is not possible to give a full response within this time, we will write to you to explain why there is a delay, what we are doing to investigate the complaint, and when you can expect a full reply from us.
The reply sent by the Corporate Director will provide details of the results of the investigation into the complaint.
Stage Three – Review by Chief Executive
If you are not satisfied with the response received from a Corporate Director under stage two, you should put this in writing to the UK Commission’s Chief Executive, explaining why you are still dissatisfied. The Chief Executive aims to respond to your complaint within 20 working days.
Review by the Parliamentary Ombudsman
If your complaint has not been resolved after the Commission’s Chief Executive has reviewed it, you can ask your Member of Parliament to put complaints about us to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, who is an officer of the House of Commons appointed by the Queen, wholly independently of Government. The Parliamentary Ombudsman will only consider complaints referred to him by a Member of Parliament. The Parliamentary Ombudsman will not normally consider a complaint that has not first been put in writing to us for consideration.
Further information about the Parliamentary Ombudsman can be obtained at: www.ombudsman.org.uk or from the following address:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Complaints regarding access to information
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 provide a right of access to recorded information held by the Commission. The UK Commission aims to be open and transparent and to provide information that has been requested wherever possible. If you have a complaint about a Freedom of Information request (or EIR) you should initially address your complaint to:
The Head of Secretariat Services
UK Commission for Employment and Skills
Renaissance House
Adwick Park
Wath Upon Dearne
S63 5NB
01709 774800
If you are not happy with how your complaint has been handled or the outcome of your complaint, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Offices. Further details can be obtained from www.ico.gov.uk or by writing to:
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
