Ethics and Integrity Commission to review public sector ombudsman system

The review will be the Commission’s first since it was established in October 2025 with a stronger mandate and a wider remit than its predecessor, the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

In a letter to the Prime Minister setting out the Commission’s progress and programme of work, EIC Chair Doug Chalmers said the review would build on the CSPL’s 2025 report called Recognising and responding to early warning signs in public sector bodies.

Chalmers said the first review would look at “whether ombudsman schemes in the public sector should play a greater role in investigating systemic issues before they escalate and supporting public bodies to instigate swift and meaningful improvements to public services”.

The EIC said it would in due course welcome contributions “from anyone with an interest in how public sector ombudsman schemes can better identify systemic issues and bring about improvements to our public services”.

The Commission has also said it would begin work to produce its first report on codes of conduct, in line with the planned forthcoming obligations of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for public authorities.

“This Bill will require all public bodies to establish a professional duty of candour for staff, to be set out within a wider code of ethics based on the Principles of Public Life. The EIC’s work is intended to support public authorities to develop and embed codes of conduct into the culture and day to day work of their organisations,” it added.

Doug Chalmers said: “We want to look at whether the powers the public sector ombudsman have, and the way they currently operate, enables them to pick up themes and highlight developing problems in our institutions.

“This review, along with our work on codes of conduct and their oversight mechanisms within public authorities, is intended to raise standards to drive better outcomes for citizens.”