Defra's complaints procedures

Information on this page:

1. Complaints about Defra's standards of service
2. Complaints about policies or legal issues
3. Complaints about access to information
4. Complaints about re-use of information
5. Defra Inspectorates' codes and complaints procedures

Defra is committed to providing a high quality and efficient service to its customers. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from any part of the Department, you can complain by following the procedures set out in Section 1 below. However, if your complaint concerns the Department's policies, interpretation of legislation or other matters which are not related to standards of service, it should be addressed to the relevant Defra Policy Division, as set out in Section 2. If your complaint relates to a request for access to information, you should follow the procedures set out in Section 3. If, however, your complaint concerns the re-use of information, you should follow the procedures set out in Section 4.

Please note that Defra Inspectorates have their own service standards complaints procedures.

1. Complaints about Defra's standards of service

If you have a complaint about the way that we operate or the services we provide you can tell us by telephone, in writing, by fax, by e-mail, or in person (by appointment). In the first instance, your complaint should be made to the officer with whom you have been dealing. If you are unable to resolve the complaint satisfactorily in this way you should contact the Head of the relevant Defra Division.

If you remain dissatisfied, you can write to the Department's impartial Complaint Adjudicator, Trevor Cook. His address is:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Area 7D, Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
Email: service-standards.adjudicator@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Trevor Cook is responsible for investigating and adjudicating on any complaints which are made to him regarding standards of service. He will investigate your complaint and report back within 15 working days. If this is not possible, he will write to you explaining why, and letting you know when you may expect a response.

If you are not satisfied with the adjudicator's decision, you may write to a Member of Parliament who may agree to refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at:

OPCA
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London SW1P 4QP

2. Complaints about policies or legal issues

If your complaint relates to Defra's policies or the interpretation of EC or other legislation you should address it to the Head of the relevant Policy Division. (Please note that such complaints fall outside the remit of the Complaints Adjudicator.) You may ask your Member of Parliament to take up your complaint with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at Defra, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR, or with another Defra Minister.

3. Complaints about access to information

If your complaint relates to a request for access to information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, or to Defra's Publication Scheme, you can write to Lewis Baker, Head of Defra's Access to Information Unit, who will arrange for your complaint to be investigated. His address is:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Area 1/E Whitehall Place West
3-8 Whitehall Place
London SW1A 2HH
Fax: 020 7270 8970
Email: accesstoinfo@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Please note that complaints relating to the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 must be received by Defra no later than 40 working days after the date on which you believe that the Department failed to comply with the requirements of the Regulations.

Complaints relating to requests handled by Defra's executive agencies should be addressed to the relevant person within that agency and not to Defra itself. Please refer to the appropriate agency website for details.

If you have a complaint regarding a request for access to personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998 you should contact David Waller, Defra's Data Protection Officer at:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Area 1/E Whitehall Place West
3-8 Whitehall Place
London SW1A 2HH
Fax: 020 7270 8970
Email: data.protection@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Defra will aim to respond to all complaints about access to information issues within 20 working days. If for any reason we are unable to meet that deadline we will let you know the reason for this and keep you informed of when you may expect to receive a reply.

If, having heard the outcome of your complaint, you are still dissatisfied, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Please note that generally the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have first exhausted Defra's own complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Office for the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

4. Complaints about re-use of information

If your complaint relates to a request to re-use information under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005, you can write to Kevin Jackson, Head of Defra's Library and Translation Service, who will arrange for your complaint to be investigated and will let you know the outcome. His address is:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Information Resource Centre, Ergon House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
Fax: 020 7238 6609
Email: defra.library@defra.gsi.gov.uk

If, having heard the outcome of your complaint, you are still dissatisfied, you can refer your case to the Office of Public Sector Information at:

Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)
Admiralty Arch (North Side)
The Mall
London SW1A 2WH
Email: opsilicensing@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk

Should your complaint not be fully resolved by the Office of Public Sector Information, it can be referred to the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI) - on APPSI website

5. Defra Inspectorates' codes and complaints procedures

Defra Inspectorates have their own service standards and codes and complaints proceduress.