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Make a Complaint

Click on one of the links below for more information about making a complaint.

• Who can make a complaint?
• Who can I complain about?
• What can I complain about?
• When can I make a complaint
• What should I do first?
• What is the next step?
• How do I make a complaint?
• How will my complaint be dealt with?
• How long will it take to deal with my complaint?
• Make a complaint on-line
• Can I Appeal a Decision?
• Still unsure how to make a complaint?

Who can make a complaint?

Anyone can make a complaint. You can complain on your own behalf or for someone else if they ask you to. You can make a complaint as an individual or as a public representative and as a business or organisation.

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Who can I complain about?

If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from any of the following public bodies and you have been unable to sort out the problem with the body concerned then the Ombudsman may be able to help you:

• Government departments,
• local authorities,
• the Health Service Executive (HSE),
• agencies, such as charities and voluntary bodies, that deliver health and social services on behalf of the HSE,
• An Post, and
• all public bodies covered by the Disability Act 2005. (The Ombudsman may investigate complaints concerning compliance by public bodies and some other bodies with Part 3 of the Disability Act 2005.  Details of how to make such a complaint can be found in the "Disability Act 2005" section of this site.)

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What can I complain about?

Generally speaking you can complain about the administrative actions of the public bodies which are open to investigation by the Ombudsman.

The following are typical examples of what people may complain about:

• entitlement to old age and retirement pensions administered by the Department of Social and Family Affairs;
• disputes about income tax credits granted by the Revenue Commissioners;
• entitlement to higher education grants administered by the Department of Education and Science;
• entitlement to livestock grants administered by the Department of Agriculture and Food;
• entitlement to local authority housing;
• disputes about the medical card scheme administered by the Health Service Executive.

If you read the Ombudsman's Annual Reports or the Sample Cases published elsewhere on this website you will see how the Ombudsman has helped people from many different walks of life to resolve their complaints.

If the Ombudsman cannot deal with your particular complaint we provide links on our website to other complaint handling bodies which may be able to help you.

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When can I make a complaint?

You should complain to the Ombudsman as soon as possible but not later than 12 months after the action you want to complain about occurred or you became aware of it occurring.

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What should I do first?

Before you contact us you must first try to solve your problem with the public body concerned. In some cases there may be formal local appeals systems which you will have to go through before coming to the Ombudsman, for example, the Agriculture Appeals Office, the Social Welfare Appeals Office etc. If you fail to resolve your problem and you still feel the body concerned has not treated you fairly, contact the Ombudsman.

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What is the next step?

When making a complaint try to give as much detail as possible including copies of letters and reference numbers. You should also explain to us what outcome you are trying to achieve.

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How do I make a complaint? 

Complaints may be made in writing, by telephone, by calling to the Ombudsman's Office, by email or by using the on-line complaint form. Remember to send us any relevant documentation or correspondence you may have.

The Office is located at 18 Lr. Leeson St., Dublin 2 and is open between 9.15 and 5.30 Monday to Thursday and between 9.15 and 5.15 on Friday:

Tel: +353 1 6395600
Lo Call 1-890-223030 (from outside 01 area)
Fax: +353 1 6395674

E-mail: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie

Outreach Services

The Ombudsman also maintains monthly regional offices and organises an annual programme of regional visits.  Details of these events can be found in the right hand navigation on the home page of this website.

The Ombudsman also operates a new service, called Ombudsman Link Service, in association with the following Citizens Information Centres:

• Cork Citizens Information Centre, 80 South Mall, Cork
• Blackrock Citizens Information Centre, Convent Road, Blackrock, Cork
• Limerick Citizens Information Centre, 54 Catherine Street, Limerick,
• Newcastlewest Citizens Information Centre, Weight House, Market Yard, Newcastlewest, Co Limerick,
• Galway Citizens Information Centre, Augustine House, St. Augustine Street, Galway
• Clifden Citizens Information Centre,  c/o VEC, Statoil Apartments, 4/5 Galway Road, Clifden
• Northside Citizens Information Centre, Northside Civic Cntre, Bunratty Road, Coolock, Dublin 17

The staff and volunteers at these centres have received special training so that they can assist you with making a complaint.

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How will my complaint be dealt with?

We will first make sure that we can deal with your complaint. Then we may ask the public body concerned to send us a report. If we need to, we may examine their files and records and question officials. It can take time to gather the information that we need.

We will then decide whether:

• your complaint is valid, and
• you have suffered due to the action or decision of the public body.

If we decide that you have suffered, and the public body has not taken steps to put this right, we may recommend that it does so. We may ask the body to:

• review what it has done,
• change its decision and/or,
• offer you an explanation, an apology and/or financial compensation.

In most cases, we handle the complaint in an informal way. We may discuss the problem directly with the public body or examine the relevant files. In more complex cases, we may need to carry out a detailed investigation.

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How long will it take to deal with my complaint?

It is not possible to say exactly how long it will take. The time it takes us to reach a decision will vary from case to case, depending on how complicated it is. For example, it can take longer if we need to meet with officials from the public body concerned.

We will keep in touch with you to let you know what we are doing with your complaint and do our best to resolve it as quickly as possible.

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Make a complaint on-line

For Members of the Public:

Members of the public may summit a personal complaint or on behalf of someone else by completing our Public Complaint Form.

For Members of the Oireachtas:

You may submit a complaint on behalf of someone by means of our Oireachtas members online complaint form if you wish. However, please also send us copies of any relevant correspondance that the complainant has had with the public body concerned.

Alternatively, you can simply write to us with details of the complaint together with copies of any relevant correspondence.

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Can I Appeal A Decision?

The Ombudsman has an Appeals Procedure.

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Still unsure how to make a complaint?

If you are still not sure how to make a complaint to the Ombudsman please contact us and we can assist you in making your complaint.

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