Complaints about the NAO
What to do if you want to complain about the work of the
National Audit Office.
We value your comments and feedback
The NAO aims to carry out its work to the highest professional
standards and to deliver an efficient and effective public audit
service which represents best value for money. We are committed to
continual improvement. This includes handling complaints carefully
in an open and courteous way by investigating the matters raised
thoroughly and replying as quickly as possible.
The NAO has a three stage complaints process. We will do all we
can to resolve your complaint at the first stage, but if you are
not satisfied with our response or you are unhappy with the way we
have handled your complaint, you can ask for your complaint to be
reviewed. How to complain and details of our procedure are set out
below along with how you can expect us to handle your
complaint.
The Role of the National Audit Office
The National Audit Office scrutinises public spending on behalf
of Parliament.
Our audit of central government has two main aims. By reporting
the results of our audits to Parliament, we hold government
departments and bodies to account for the way they use public
money, thereby safeguarding the interests of taxpayers. In
addition, our work aims to help public service managers improve
performance and service delivery.
The head of the NAO, the Comptroller and Auditor General, Amyas
Morse, is an Officer of the House of Commons. Both he and his staff
at the NAO (around 900) are totally independent of government. We
are not civil servants and do not report to any Minister.
There are four main acts of Parliament from which the
Comptroller and Auditor General and the NAO derive their authority.
These are the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000; National
Audit Act 1983; Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921; and the
Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866.
We do not audit local government spending or publish statistical
information. The Audit Commission (an entirely separate body from
the National Audit Office) is responsible for the audit of local
government spending. The Office for National Statistics is
responsible for publishing statistical information about the
UK.
How to complain about us
What do we consider to be a complaint?
Any expression of dissatisfaction about the actions or inactions
by the NAO, or its staff, affecting one or more members of the
public or employee of a body audited by the NAO will be considered
by our complaints procedure.
Who can complain?
Anyone who comes into contact with the NAO and is unhappy or
dissatisfied can complain. For example, you could be a member of
the public or an employee of a body audited by the NAO.
Who do I complain to?
There are two ways by which you can complain. You can:
Is there a time limit for complaining?
We will do all we can to look into your complaint. In order to
ensure that complaints are dealt with properly, we will not usually
accept complaints that are made more than 12 months after the event
being complained about or being brought to your attention.
Are there any types of complaint that this procedure cannot
consider under this process?
If you wish to comment on the performance or behaviour of an
organisation audited by the NAO, you should raise it with that
organisation, using its own complaints procedure. Further
information about making a complaint against government and
public bodies can be found at www.direct.gov.uk.
Complaints that the NAO has failed to meet its obligations to
disclose information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and
to deal with requests in accordance with statutory procedure are
subject to a distinct formal process. If your complaint relates to
Freedom of Information, please write to The
National Audit Office Library, 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road,
Victoria, London, SW1W 9SP.
If a complaint is vexatious and/or repetitious, we may bring the
communication to a close. We define vexatious as: a complaint
instituted without sufficient grounds and serving only to cause
annoyance to the receiver of the complaint; an oppressive complaint
(with unjust severity); or otherwise an abuse of the procedures for
dealing with complaints or conduct matters.
We define repetitious as: a complaint that is
substantially the same as a previous complaint (whether made by or
on behalf of the same or a different complainant); contains no
fresh allegations which significantly affect the account of the
previous complaint; or no fresh evidence, being evidence which was
not reasonably available at the time the previous complaint was
made, is tendered in support of it.
What happens to my complaint?
Once you have made a complaint to the Office in writing, we aim
to send you an acknowledgement within five working days of receipt.
That acknowledgement will provide an indication as to who will be
responsible for responding to you and when you can expect to
receive a reply. 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 cannot.
We will give serious consideration to the issues you raise.
Where we identify mistakes in our approach we will acknowledge
those and this may include providing an apology, setting out
details of other steps we think are necessary in the circumstances,
and explaining what we will do to prevent the problem occurring
again.
We expect to respond to the majority of complaints within 20
working days of the complaint arriving with us. The time taken to
respond will vary depending on the complexity of the complaint.
If we are unable to respond within 20 working days because, for
example, the matters you raise require more detailed investigation,
we will let you know.
What happens if I disagree with the outcome, or how my
complaint was handled?
We will make every effort to satisfactorily resolve your
complaint in the first instance. However, if you are not satisfied
by our response or by the way that your complaint was handled, you
should contact the Director of Corporate Affairs (contact details
below). The director will arrange for the case to be reconsidered
by a member of staff who was not previously involved in handling
your complaint. This stage will involve a full independent review
of the handling of your complaint and all associated papers. The
outcome of this review will be communicated to you in writing.
What can I do if I am still unsatisfied with the way my
complaint has been handled?
If you are unsatisfied by the outcome of the independent review
you can request that the matter be referred to NAO Senior
Management who will consider whether:
- your complaint has been handled properly;
- our response was appropriate; and
- whether any further action is necessary.
You will be sent the outcome of this review into how your
complaint was dealt with.
How to contact us
Email: complaints@nao.gsi.gov.uk
Write: Head of Policy, National Audit Office,
157-197 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9SP
Further information on the work of the NAO can be found at:
Web: www.nao.org.uk