Public Accounts Committee delivers findings on Government’s handling of complaints
States Assembly
14 March 2025
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has, this morning, released its report into how the Government handles customer feedback and complaints.The review was launched to follow up on the implementation of recommendations made in two reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General on this issue, as well as previous recommendations of the PAC.
The PAC found that significant improvements have been made in terms of monitoring, analysing and evaluating feedback from Islanders who come into contact with Government departments and acknowledges the steps which have been taken to update the systems and processes for dealing with complaints.
However, there has been an increase between 2023 and 2024 in the number of complaints which have been marked as either “outcome not achievable” or as being “not upheld”. The Committee found that the Government’s policy for dealing with customer feedback lacks clarity on the definition for resolving complaints in this manner and the steps taken before reaching that conclusion. The review also revealed a large increase in the number of complaints received by the Infrastructure and Environment Department from 2023 to 2024, particularly in relation to planning and regulation.
In total, the Committee made 28 key findings and ten recommendations. Among the recommendations are:
- The Government of Jersey should create a specific page on its website dedicated to presenting feedback data from customers to enhance transparency.
- The Infrastructure and Environment Department should review the reasons for the substantial increase in complaints received by the department and to address it.
- A greater focus should be placed on ensuring customers wishing to provide feedback on arms-length organisations or the parishes feel able to do so.
- A clear definition of the terms “outcome not achievable” and “not upheld” should be included within the Government’s Customer Feedback Policy, including the thresholds for determining which complaints fall into these categories.
- All learning actions should be published on the Government website as a matter of course. This should be done by the end of 2025.
As part of its review, the PAC conducted a survey to gather evidence from the public on the customer feedback process. Just under half of the respondents said they did not know how to lodge a complaint, while a similar number said they did not have trust and confidence in the process.
PAC Chair, Deputy Inna Gardiner, said: ‘The proper handling of complaints is crucial in establishing public trust in Government departments. Islanders must feel that they will be listened to and that their concerns will be adequately addressed, and the Government should view complaints received as learning opportunities to improve services.
‘It is therefore pleasing that the Government has taken steps to increase the amount of feedback – both positive and negative – that it receives to enhance its data pool. The Public Accounts Committee also notes that the Government has recently launched a survey to gauge public opinion on the introduction of a public services ombudsman and we would encourage Islanders to provide their views.
‘The Committee is concerned that around half of those included in the post-feedback data collected by Government in 2024 said that they were not satisfied with how their complaint had been handled and we also feel that the Government could be more transparent about how it handles and classifies complaints and what lessons have been learned in dealing with them.
‘The PAC acknowledges that significant improvements have been made in tackling this important issue and that the processes need to constantly evolve based on the feedback being received. There are still areas that the Committee feels can be quickly improved, particularly in relation to transparency around how complaints are processed and handled and we encourage the Government to give due consideration to our ten recommendations.’
The full report can be found on the States Assembly website HERE. The PAC’s terms of reference for the review can be found HERE.
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