Guidelines for Addressing Grievances

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has a formal and transparent complaints process in place for service standards issues. This process is designed to address concerns related to access to information, personal data, procurement, and contractual matters.

Access to Information

Complaints about access to information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 should be addressed to Vanessa Drury at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For complaints about re-use of information under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, contact DEFRA's Library and Information Services Team.

Email for such complaints is . It's important to note that DEFRA aims to respond to all complaints about access to information issues within 20 working days.

Personal Data

Complaints regarding DEFRA's handling of personal data, including rights under data protection law, should be directed to the core Data Protection Team. The email for such complaints is .

Procurement and Contractual Matters

For complaints about procurement or contractual matters, write to the Head of Group Commercial at . Alternatively, you can send an email to .

Service Standards

To make a service standard complaint, do so in writing or by email as soon as possible. The complaint should be addressed to the Service Standards Adjudicator. The Adjudicator will aim to respond within 20 working days, and if the complainant is unhappy with the response, they can ask for their complaint to be passed to a senior manager.

Complaints Timeframe

Complaints about access to information must be made within 40 working days of the date the complainant believes the requirements of the regulations were not met.

Exclusions

This process does not relate to internal complaint processes for staff or objections about the department's policies. Complaints about policies or legislation fall outside the remit of the complaints adjudicator and cannot be referred to them.

Other Agencies and Public Bodies

Complainants should consider whether their issue concerns one of DEFRA's agencies or other bodies, as many have their own complaints procedures. A list of agencies and public bodies that may have their own complaints procedures includes the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Marine Management Organisation, Natural England, Rural Payments Agency, and details of other agencies and public bodies' complaints procedures.

Escalation and Appeals

If a response from the Service Standards Adjudicator does not resolve the complaint, the complainant has 28 days to ask for the complaint to be escalated to a senior manager. If the senior manager's decision is not satisfactory, the complainant can ask any Member of Parliament to refer the complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

If you are still dissatisfied after hearing the outcome of your complaint, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at .

It's essential to remember that DEFRA cannot respond to repeated requests for the same information.

This process provides a clear and transparent pathway for addressing service standards issues, ensuring that concerns are addressed promptly and effectively.