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Utility/Industry regulators

Utility regulators mainly deal with pricing matters and aren't very good at explaining their complaints procedure on their sites. See also Media section below.

• Ofgem, Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, has taken over from separate Electricity and Gas regulators.
• Office of Water Services.
• Office of Fair Trading (has got advice on online shopping issues!).
• Office of the Rail Regulator.
• The Pensions Regulator (has taken over from Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority).
• Competition Commission.
• Trading Standards Central A one stop shop for consumer protection information in the UK. The site is supported and maintained by TSI, the Trading Standards Institute.
• National Lottery Commission.
• Postwatch exists 'to protect, promote and develop the interests of all customers of postal services in the UK'. Postcomm is the regulator.

Government/local council regulators

• Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and the Health Service Commissioners - The Ombudsman
• Get details of Charter Mark standards (part of the Cabinet Office).
• Local Government Ombudsman.
• Northern Ireland Ombudsman.
• European Ombudsman.
• National Audit Office 'conducts financial audits of all government departments and agencies and many other public bodies, and reports to Parliament on the value for money with which public bodies have spent public money'. Has a good links page, including European and international bodies.
• Audit Commission Value for money studies, audits of all local authorities and NHS bodies.
• Audit Scotland.
• Auditor General for Wales / Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru.
• Northern Ireland Audit Office.
• The Public Audit Forum.
• Committee on Standards in Public Life (Neill Committee).
• The Adjudicator's Office for the Inland Revenue (including the former Contributions Agency), HM Customs and Excise and the Valuation Office Agency.
• See Social regulators below for relevant government agencies - NHS, education etc.

Other areas: start out at DirectGov.

There is a Directory of Ombudsmen at British and Irish Ombudsman Association. The online resource for auditors or scrutineers of public sector bodies The Centre for Public Scrutiny (new summer 04) may also be of itnerest.

We list government Departmental web sites on the Lobby page.

Also note Centre for Public Scrutiny "Not only to hold executives to account but also to create a constructive dialogue between the public and its elected representatives" on public services.

Not-for profit and social regulators

• The Charity Commission is where concerns about registered charities in England and Wales should go, Companies House for possible company legislation issues.
• There is an Independent Complaints Reviewer for concerns about how the Charity Commission operates.
• In Scotland, Office of Scottish Charity Regulator is developing its work and its full incarnation should start April 2006.

• Children's Commissioner for Wales.
• Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People.
• Office of Childrens Commissioner (England) - rebranded May 07 as '11Million'#.
• Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People.
• Office for Standards in Education - OFSTED Site includes links to specific school inspection reports (published approx. 3 months after the visit).
  • From April 2007, OFSTED will become the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, bringing together the children's social care remit of CSCI, the CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) inspection remit and the Adult Learning Inspectorate.

• Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) in England.
• General Social Care Council All social workers in England should have registered by April 2005.
• Northern Ireland Social Care Council All social care workers in NI will need to register.
• Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) is the health and social care regulatory body for Northern Ireland.
• Scottish Social Services Council.
• Care Council for Wales.
• Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (aka the Healthcare Commission) independent inspection body for the NHS covering mental health too.
• Healthcare Inspectorate Wales.
• Complaints procedure for Department of Health, NHS.

• Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner Making sure all immigration advisers fulfill the requirements of good practice.
• Independent Police Complaints Commission.
• Office of the Social Security and Child Support Commissioners 'Specialised part of the Judiciary appointed to determine appeals on law under the Social Security and Child Support Acts'.

Media/Communications

• Office of Communication, Ofcom, covers telecoms , media (radio, television, but not BBC) and more.
• Advertising Standards Authority This includes advertising on non-broadcast electronic media (eg CD-ROM, internet). Phone 020 7580 5555
• Press Complaints Commission Phone 020 7353 1284.
• ISPA Not a statutory regulator, but reputable Internet Service Providers generally belong. The Code of Practice is quite large - see under Consumer Issues.
• Telephone Premium Rate Services complaints or enquiries: ICSTIS.

Fundraising

Charity fundraising is regulated in a number of ways. Local authorities licence street collections, while the Charity Commission (in England and Wales) registers and oversees accounting and reporting.

• Public Fundraising Regulatory Association is the relatively new self-regulatory body dealing with 'face to face' fundraising.