Copy of IPSA's complaint log

Request

You specifically requested a copy of the complaints log IPSA holds, on an anonymous basis, and any comments submitted by MPs as part of their complaints.


Response

IPSA holds the information that you request.

As you will be aware, IPSA is responsible for administering and paying both the business costs and expenses, and salaries, of all 650 Members of Parliament and their staff.  We handle around 185,000 claims a year, and, on average, reimburse them in less than 10 days.  In the event that Members of Parliament, or their staff, feel IPSA has not provided an adequate standard of service, we offer a thorough complaints procedure.

The complaint log we hold details all formal complaints made to IPSA by Members of Parliament and their staff.  Please find attached, in Annex A, an extracted copy of IPSA’s complaint log which lists, by complaint, the main subject, a brief summary, the date, the status and resolution of each complaint, and comments filed by IPSA staff members dealing with the complaints.  In line with previous correspondence, we have provided an extracted copy of the complaint log, in which we have removed three fields: the complainant; the name of the MP to whom the complaint relates; and the name of the complainant (if not an MP).

For clarity, in your previous request, FOI2013-A209, you made a request for complaints made by MPs.  The complaint log attached holds details of complaints made both by MPs’ staff and MPs directly.

Turning to the second part of your request, the complaint log does not hold any comments submitted by MPs as part of the complaints.  The only communication submitted by MPs (as part of their complaints) that we hold is the original complaint itself and any preceding correspondence, which may come in the form of a letter or an email, and which we withheld under Section 36 of the FOIA in your previous request, FOI2013-A209.  Our qualified person under the FOIA, Sir Neil Butterfield, has confirmed that the release of such communication continues to fall within the decision he previously made.

Annex A – IPSA Complaint Log (extracted)

Main Subject of ComplaintNature of Complaint (Brief Description)Date ReceivedDate RespondedCommentComplaint ResolutionComplaint StatusMonth Complaint Received
Phone opening timesDislike of phone opening hours, MPs taff not being able to be reimbursed directly on all claims25/07/201101/08/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedJuly 2011
Responding to queriesUnhappy re. lack of specific advice given on claims29/07/201110/08/2011-Policy issueResponse sent & case closedJuly 2011
DocumentationReason for delay in us receiving claim documentation08/07/201119/07/2011-Service delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedJuly 2011
Reward & recognititonReward and recognition payment not being made13/06/201123/06/2011-Policy issueResponse sent & case closedJuly 2011
Simplified paymentsDelays in processing deposit loan and claim, multiple confusing e-mails about simplified payments27/09/201216/10/2012-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2012
Reviews/rejected claimsProcedures for dealing with rejected claims02/09/201015/09/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
Processing claimsLength of time to change accommodation status06/09/201015/09/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
Payment cardDifficulties completing travelcard reconcilliation form09/12/201022/12/2010-Process issueResponse sent & case closedDecember 2010
Payment cardDifficulties completing payment card reconciliation form12/02/201117/02/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedFebruary 2011
Processing claimsIntern expenses not paid28/02/201205/03/2012[REDACTED]'s been registered but no expenses have been claimedService delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedMarch 2012
PayrollOver payment of salary for two months05/09/201116/09/2011Payroll have set-up monthly payment plan. [REDACTED] says [REDACTED] wants to make a formal complaint but given the nature of the issue Ihave treated it as a formal complant already.Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2011
PayrollBeing paid on two contract and not pleased with IPSA staff service15/11/201124/11/2011There were a number of issues which were raised as part of this complaint, all but one of these had previously been responded to. The main complaint in this letter was regarding how her issues were dealt with by a member of the payroll team - it was not found that IPSA was at faultService delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedResponse sent & case closedNovember 2011
Processing claimsUnhappy about processing time for mobile phone claims20/11/201207/12/2012Only one was delayed beyond our targetService delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedNovember 2012
Processing claimsVarious12/07/201121/07/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedJuly 2011
Reviews/rejected claimsUnhappy that we don't allow redacted evidence14/02/201205/03/2012This was just crossed out, not blacked out, so should have been allowedService delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedJanuary 2012
Processing claimsClaims for recall in August have been returned as insuffiecient evidence has been sent.10/10/201121/10/2011-Service delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedOctober 2011
PayrollMP needing to sign-off holiday payment01/08/201104/08/2011Referred to [REDACTED] - either [REDACTED] or [REDACTED] to answerService delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedAugust 2011
Payment cardDifficulty with payment card21/12/201021/12/2010-Process issueResponse sent & case closedDecember 2010
PublicationPublication of MP's expenses - not allowed to correct an admin error01/02/201009/02/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedFebruary 2011
Simplified paymentsDelay with simplified payments17/03/201130/03/2011-Service delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedMarch 2011
Payment cardPayment Card11/03/201321/03/2013-Process issueResponse sent & case closed-
Phone opening timesReduction in phone hours17/03/201107/04/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedMarch 2011
Processing claimsClaim apparently returned after two weeks ([REDACTED] thinks it should be dealt with sooner) and not happy about delays with Payment Card processing24/02/2012---Received[1]sent & case closedFebruary 2012
Reviews/rejected claimsNot paid line instead of returned for futher evidence.29/01/201308/02/2013Review conducted and claim paid.Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedDecember 2012
Processing claimsAbout the fact that staff do not receive remittance advice slips18/08/201102/09/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedAugust 2011
Responding to queriesPhonecall waiting time03/09/201015/09/2010Response I understand was sent from [REDACTED]. it has not been logged on CRMService delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
SystemUnhappy that Payment Card form has a glitch which means it sometimes does not list all the options it should09/11/201226/11/2012[REDACTED] are investigating, but it's unclear what is causing it and it is difficult because we can't replicate the problem-Response sent & case closedNovember 2012
RegistrationsLength of time to respond to query16/11/2011--Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedNovember 2010
SystemUnable to claim for travel for dependants16/09/201021/09/2010The reason the category was not available was because we had not rec'd all info we needed.Service delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
Responding to queriesFailure to respond to query16/09/201021/09/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
Responding to queries3 complaints - phone lines out of order and two re slow response to emails08/10/201022/10/2011This complaint duplicates one which was sent on 6 Oct and will not be counted. IPSA at fault in 2 out of 3 of these complaintsService delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedOctober 2010
Responding to queriesLength of time to respond to email19/10/201003/11/2010[REDACTED] said in response to [REDACTED] not to reply as [REDACTED] has sorted matter but the initial response from [REDACTED] took 12 wkg daysService delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedOctober 2010
Responding to queriesHandling of registration of intern - delay and incorrect information asked for22/10/201009/11/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedOctober 2010
Processing claimsClaim evidence not scanned30/11/201014/12/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedNovember 2010
Processing claimsDelay in claim payment20/03/201328/03/2013-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closed-
RegistrationsHandling of LALP and incorrect info being given02/09/201006/10/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
Processing claimsHandling of claims29/09/201015/10/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
RegistrationsHandling of registration of accommodation and not being asked for additional documentation15/10/201009/11/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedOctober 2010
SchemeNot able able to claim for journey to Labour Party conference14/11/201117/11/2011After letter from [REDACTED] MP then spoke to [REDACTED]. [REDACTED] spoke [REDACTED] (21/11/11) and is following up with letterPolicy issueResponse sent & case closedNovember 2010
Budget overspendThat we have not approved an uplift to their budget following pay rises and confusion about what year backdated amounts would be allocated to27/06/201215/08/2012-Policy issueResponse sent & case closedJune 2012
Processing claimsMP unhappy that we returned the form asking for additional evidence19/09/201227/09/2012-Service delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2012
PayrollIPSA as empoyer on P6002/09/201107/10/2011Final email sent 7 OctoberService delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2011
Responding to queriesLetter not responded to19/07/2011-Letter sent to [REDACTED], letter was not scanned as Payroll related, therefore it was not tracked on CRMService delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedJuly 2011
Simplified paymentsNot being able pay regular payment via simplified payments19/07/2011-I dealt with proxy direct and have arranged for simplified payment to be set-up on secretarial services as he has no const officeProcess issueResponse sent & case closedJune 2011
DocumentationRent increase not actioned13/09/201201/10/2012-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2012
Simplified paymentsSimp. payments delayed this month. No apology.19/07/201126/07/2011-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedJuly 2011
Processing claimsDelayed responses to questions about closing up office26/09/201216/10/2012-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2012
Responding to queriesDelay in registering property and responding to query relating to it16/11/201129/11/2011-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedNovember 2010
Processing claimsSlow payment01/08/201110/08/2011-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedAugust 2011
RegistrationsLength of time to register accommodation02/09/201020/09/2010-Service delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
Responding to queriesPhonecall waiting time14/09/201020/09/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
Processing claimsClaim was not paid as opposed to returned for more information.30/01/201308/02/2013MP/Staff to re submit claim stating documentation is already with us on 222753.Process issueResponse sent & case closed-
Reviews/rejected claimsReview process28/09/201018/10/2010-Service delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
Phone opening timesReduced phone opening hours02/03/201102/03/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedMarch 2011
Payment cardPayment card reconciliation and year end20/06/201105/07/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedJune 2011
Payment cardProblem with payment card reconciliation21/12/201013/01/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedDecember 2010
Simplified paymentsSimplified payment not made and outstanding payments to landlord08/07/201114/07/2011There was a delay in the Simp payment going out but not our fault for other outstanding amountsService delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedJuly 2011
Simplified paymentsRent for flat is 2 months overdue and MPs not trusted with paying rent18/01/201224/01/2012We are not overdue and [REDACTED] can pay [REDACTED] rent direct to landlord if [REDACTED] wishesService delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedJanuary 2012
PayrollMistake in tax code22/06/201123/06/2011[REDACTED]'s response covers a previous letter tooService delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedJune 2011
PublicationOur publication policy of MP receipts and difficulty to find complaints procedure10/01/201128/01/2011-Policy issueResponse sent & case closedJanuary 2011
Processing claimsUnhappy that [REDACTED] hasn't received [REDACTED] intern expenses24/02/201205/03/2012The MP asked for a 90 day extension which we granted, then they revealed they've got no receipts. We've suggested [REDACTED] take it up with the MP.Service delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedMarch 2012
RegistrationsProblems registering office and home11/10/201028/10/2010Complaint classed as us not at fault as we were sent incorrect info. MP insisted that [REDACTED] sent correct docs but we did not get them or they were incorrectService delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedOctober 2010
Processing claimsSlow payment of intern expenses26/11/201010/12/2010We did not input bank details which were providedService delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedNovember 2010
PayrollOverpayment of salary02/12/201013/12/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedDecember 2010
PayrollOverpayment of pension contributions28/01/201101/02/2011-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedJanuary 2011
Processing claimsClaim being returned due to different transaction date01/11/201111/11/2011Response came back from MP on 11 Nov and response went out from [REDACTED] on 17 NovemberProcess issueResponse sent & case closedNovember 2011
Data protectionPossible breach of DPA18/09/201020/09/2010-Service delivery - IPSA not at faultResponse sent & case closedSeptember 2010
Simplified paymentsSimplified payment not being set-up quickly enough and bank returning payment15/06/201124/06/2011-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedJune 2011
Processing claimsWants us to pay staff direct for Office Costs02/08/201215/08/2012-Process issueResponse sent & case closedAugust 2012
Responding to queriesTime taken to respond to queries/office registration26/10/201010/11/2010-Service delivery - IPSA at faultResponse sent & case closedOctober 2010
Budgets/year endSwitching between budgets26/05/201109/06/2011-Process issueResponse sent & case closedMay 2011

[1] This complaint was responded to on 12th March 2012, but was not logged.

Ref:
F1314-038
Disclosure:
5 June 2013
Categories:
IPSA - OPERATIONS
Exemptions Applied:
None