Public Sector Ombudsman in Administrative Law System of England

Public Sector Ombudsman in Administrative Law System of England is comprised of four institutions, namely Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman, Housing Ombudsman, and Prisons & Probation Ombudsman. Most of the existing literature on the said institutions have exclusively focused on parliamentary ombudsman, to the exclusion of health services. As such, it seems necessary, through examination of the responsibilities of the said institutions, to review the changes that non-judicial investigations (ombudsman) as pro citizen rights institutions in this country have undergone. Although these institutions are directed by individuals appointed by central power bodies, they enjoy significant level of independence from them, to the extent that they can investigate the very public entities that has appointed them. Nevertheless, reviewing the capacities of these institutions, it can be assumed that the most significant function they serve is to inform the public sector with the aim of change or modification of status quo in the administrative system of this country, due to the fact that they do not enjoy effective authorities for execution of their decisions, and some of them may, at most, be able to oblige the institutions subject to investigation to pay damages. Also, despite the fact that the Iranian legal system does not have the institution of ombudsman in the main sense, we can see similarities between British public sector ombudsmen and existing inspection bodies in Iran (such as commission of article 90 of the constitution).