Complaints procedure

If you have a complaint about the way we operate or the services we provide, please provide details to us in writing, by post or email.

Standards of service

We recognise that it may sometimes be necessary to complain about the way Defra, or an individual, has provided a service. These complaints are known as service standards complaints. Defra has a formal and transparent complaints process in place to handle them. The service standards complaints process does not relate to internal complaint processes for staff, nor objections about the department’s policies.

Before making a service standard complaint, you should also consider whether it relates to Defra, or one its 36 agencies and other bodies. Many of these bodies will have their own complaints procedures and the principal agencies can be contacted via the following links:

If you have a service standard complaint about the way we operate or the services we provide, let us know as soon as possible in writing or by email. We have a 2 stage process designed to deal with complaints quickly, effectively and fairly.

Stage 1

You should address your complaint to the Defra Service Standards Adjudicator. The Service Standards Adjudicator is responsible for investigating complaints about standards of service.

If your complaint has been accepted you will receive confirmation within 20 working days. The Defra Service Standards Adjudicator can be contacted by email or post using the details below:

Service Standards Complaints Adjudicator

Email: service-standards.adjudicator@defra.gov.uk

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

If you are unhappy with the response you receive at this stage, you can ask for your complaint to be passed to a senior manager.

Stage 2

If a response from the Service Standards Adjudicator does not resolve your complaint, you have 28 days to ask for your complaint to be escalated. To do this, respond to the Service Standards Adjudicator in writing explaining why; your complaint will then be escalated to a senior manager for the relevant area. The senior manager will aim to respond to you in writing within 20 working days.

If you are not satisfied with the senior manager’s decision, you can ask any Member of Parliament to refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman:

PHSO
Citygate
Mosley Street
Manchester
M2 3HQ

While we always aim to answer your complaint to the best of our ability, we cannot respond to repeated requests for the same information.

If your complaint relates to Defra’s policies or the interpretation of legislation, you should address it to the Head of the relevant policy division. These complaints fall outside the remit of the complaints adjudicator, so can’t be referred to them.

You can ask your MP to take up your complaint with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at Defra or with another Defra minister.

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 our publication scheme, you can write to Vanessa Drury, who will arrange for your complaint to be investigated. The address is:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Seacole Building
4th Floor
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

email: informationrequests@defra.gov.uk

We must receive your complaint within 40 working days of the date you believe we 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.

If you have a complaint regarding Defra’s handling of your personal data, including your rights under data protection law, please contact the core Defra Data Protection Team.

email: data.protection@defra.gov.uk

We aim to respond to all complaints about access to information issues within 20 working days. If for any reason we aren’t 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 used 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

Re-use of information

If your complaint relates to a request to re-use information under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, you can contact Defra’s Library and Information Services Team at: libraryenquiries@defra.gov.uk. They will arrange for your complaint to be investigated and will let you know the outcome.

If, having heard the outcome of your complaint, you are still dissatisfied, you can refer your case to the Office of Public Sector Information which manages and regulates government information. They can be contacted at:

Email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Phone: General enquiries - 020 8876 3444 (National Archives)

Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)
PO Box 3415
Norwich
NR7 7JS

Procurement and contractual matters

If your complaint relates to a request to any procurement or contractual matter, you can write to the Head of Defra Group Commercial, who will arrange for your complaint to be investigated and will let you know the outcome. Their address is:

Head of Defra Group Commercial
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Area 4C,
Nobel House,
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR

email: network.procurement@defra.gov.uk

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