Pensions Ombudsman

The Pensions Ombudsman is the official ombudsman institution responsible for investigating complaints regarding pensions in the United Kingdom. The Pensions Ombudsman is a non-departmental public body stewarded by the Department of Work and Pensions, and the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman are appointed by the Minister for Work and Pensions. The Ombudsman is an independent commissioner and not a civil servant. His brief is to resolve disputes of fact or law and to investigate claims of maladministration. Unusually for UK Ombudsmen, the Pensions Ombudsman's determinations are binding on the parties and enforceable in the County Court. There is a right of appeal to the High Court on a point of law (Court of Session in Scotland and Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland). In England the High Court's permission has to be obtained for an appeal.

Although the first UK Ombudsman, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, was established in 1967, followed by the Insurance Ombudsman and other private sector Ombudsman schemes, the first time the title Ombudsman was used by Parliament was to establish the office of Pensions Ombudsman in 1991.

The first Pensions Ombudsman was Michael Platt, who had previously been a civil servant. He was succeeded by Dr. Julian Farrand QC(Hon), formerly the Insurance Ombudsman. Prior to his work as an Ombudsman, Dr Farrand had been a Law Commissioner and a University Professor. He is married to Baroness Hale, also previously a Law Commissioner and the first woman to be a member of the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords, now the Supreme Court, the UK's highest court.

Dr Farrand was succeeded by David Laverick, a solicitor who was previously a Director of the Local Government Ombudsman service and chief executive of the Family Health Services Appeal Authority. He was also President of the Adjudication Panel for England, a body which dealt with allegations about the conduct of members of local authorities. Tony King was the Ombudsman from September 2007 to May 2015. Tony King was previously a Principal Ombudsman in the Financial Ombudsman Service.

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