Maurice Hayes (Independent)

In all legislation relating to ombudsmen there is a presumption that people will exhaust domestic remedies. If there was a presumption that people making a complaint should have used the normal processes of the organisations, power could then be reserved to the supervisory body. On occasion, there might be an appalling case where people recognise that there was no point in sending them back down that road. When it is necessary for the authority to act in the public interest, it should state the reasons for doing so.