Your comments are important
The Auditor General for Wales (the Auditor General) aims for his staff and appointed auditors to carry out their work to the highest professional standards, so he needs to know whether you have any concerns or have not been satisfied with any area of our work. Complaints give us an opportunity to put things right when mistakes have been made and to improve the quality of our work. We take complaints seriously, will investigate them thoroughly and honestly, and will reply to you as quickly as possible.
For a copy of the leaflet, please click here.
What you can complain about
We will consider complaints about the following matters, as long as you make the complaint within six months of the event taking place or being brought to your attention.
- The way that the Auditor General carries out his legal duties - for example, appointing auditors and publishing reports.
- The work of Wales Audit Office staff and appointed auditors, including their failures to follow the Code of Audit and Inspection Practice.
- Goods and services provided by the Auditor General - for example, publications, conferences and events.
- Whether the processes followed by Wales Audit Office staff and appointed auditors, and anyone involved with any aspect of the Auditor General's work, are reasonable.
- The behaviour of Wales Audit Office staff and appointed auditors.
We cannot investigate complaints about the following.
- The policies and decisions made by, or the services provided by, organisations audited by the Wales Audit Office or by auditors appointed by the Auditor General. You should refer these complaints to the organisation itself, as it should have its own complaints procedure.
- Poor or inefficient management (known as 'maladministration') by audited organisations, which causes someone inconvenience or puts them at a disadvantage. You should refer these complaints to the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales.
- If you disagree with any decisions that the Auditor General or his appointed auditors have made while carrying out their legal duties. These decisions can only be reviewed by the courts.
How to complain
If you are not satisfied with the work of Wales Audit Office staff or auditors appointed by the Auditor General, you should first give the relevant member of staff or appointed auditor the opportunity to deal with it.
If you are not sure who to contact, or if you are not satisfied with the way your complaint has been dealt with by a member of Wales Audit Office staff or the appointed auditor, please contact the Complaints Investigation Manager as follows.
- Phone: 029 2032 0500
- E-mail: complaints@wao.gov.uk
- Website: http://www.wao.gov.uk/
Although you can discuss complaints with our staff, we prefer them to be made in writing. You can write your complaints in Welsh or English.
When writing to us, please tell us:
- your address and phone number; and
- if you have any special needs, and we will do our best to meet them.
Our commitment to dealing with complaints
When we deal with complaints we will be polite, helpful, positive and fair to both the person complaining and the person (or people) being complained about.
We will consider complaints carefully, fairly, as quickly as possible, and in an open and honest way.
How we deal with complaints
We will acknowledge your complaint within five days of receiving it. If we cannot investigate your complaint, we will write to you explaining why. If possible, we will suggest another organisation that may be able to help you.
If we can investigate your complaint, we will contact you to explain who will deal with it (an investigating officer) and when to expect a reply. We will consider complaints carefully and, if the matter is straightforward, we will usually reply within 20 working days. If we need to carry out a more detailed investigation we may need to take longer, in which case we will keep you informed.
If the investigating officer decides that your complaint is valid, we will send you an apology in writing, along with details of any other steps we think are necessary in the circumstances, including what we will do to prevent the problem happening again. If we decide that your complaint is not valid, we will write to you explaining why.
If you are not satisfied because you believe that the investigating officer has not dealt with your complaint in line with the Wales Audit Office's procedure, you should contact the Complaints Investigation Manager.
The Complaints Investigation Manager will arrange for your case to be reconsidered, by an independent person if appropriate, as long as you provide evidence to show why you believe that the investigating officer has not dealt with your complaint properly. The independent person will recommend an appropriate course of action to the Auditor General and send you details. The Auditor General will consider this to be the final stage of the complaints process.
If you provide new information that was not previously available, the Complaints Investigation Manager will consider this information and take appropriate action.
However, the Complaints Investigation Manager will not get involved in ongoing correspondence with you if you repeat the same complaint over and over again. The Auditor General will not respond to complaints that are not genuine or are made to cause trouble, or that are in some way an abuse of the complaints process.
We will treat in confidence all communications with the Auditor General, as far as the law allows. In line with the Data Protection Act 1998, we will protect any personal information that you provide. However, we may need to reveal the content of your complaint in answer to requests made to us under the Freedom of Information Act, the Environmental Information Regulations or some other legal directions.
Complaints about the organisations audited by the Auditor General or the Auditor General's appointed auditors
If you have a complaint about the performance or behaviour of an organisation audited by the Auditor General or the Auditor General's appointed auditors, you should raise it with that organisation, using its own complaints procedure as appropriate. We cannot follow up complaints against audited organisations on behalf of individuals or groups.
However, if you have concerns about:
- value for money in the way a public organisation uses its resources;
- its financial management; or
- the proper conduct of public business;
- you should write to the Auditor General.
Please visit our website for more information about putting your concerns in writing or whistle-blowing (public-interest disclosure), or call 01244 525980.
If you think that an organisation audited by the Auditor General or the Auditor General's appointed auditors has treated you unfairly because of poor or inefficient management ('maladministration'), and that this has caused you injustice (such as a loss, injury or upset), you should make your complaint to the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales. Examples of 'maladministration' within an organisation include:
- being slow to take action when there is no good reason for the delay;
- not following the law or its own rules;
- breaking its promises;
- giving incorrect information; and
- not making a decision in the correct way.
Contact details:
Public Services Ombudsman For Wales
1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae
Pencoed
CF35 5LJ
Tel: 01656 641150
E-mail: ask@ombudsman-wales.org.uk
Fax: 01656 641199
Website: www.ombudsman-wales.org
As with all Auditor General publications, this leaflet is available in Welsh, in large print and on audio tape. Please contact the Communications Team at the address below, and they will organise an alternative version for you.
If you have hearing or speech difficulties and you use textphone, you can call us direct on 029 2032 0660.
Wales Audit Office
24 Cathedral Road
Cardiff
CF11 9LJ
Tel: 029 2032 0500
(We may record your calls)
Fax: 029 2032 0600
Website: www.wao.gov.uk