Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019

67 Working collaboratively with Commissioners

(1) This section applies if it appears to the Ombudsman that—

(a) a complaint, or

(b) a matter the Ombudsman is considering investigating under section 4 or 44, relates to or raises a matter which could be the subject of an investigation by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, the Commissioner for Older People in Wales or the Welsh Language Commissioner (the “connected matter”).

(2) If the Ombudsman considers it appropriate, the Ombudsman must inform the relevant Commissioner about the connected matter.

(3) If the Ombudsman considers that the matter is a matter into which the Ombudsman is entitled to conduct an investigation (the “Ombudsman matter”), the Ombudsman must also, if the Ombudsman considers it appropriate—

(a) inform the relevant Commissioner about the Ombudsman’s proposals for conducting an investigation, and

(b) consult the relevant Commissioner about those proposals.

(4) If the Ombudsman and the relevant Commissioner consider that they are entitled to investigate, respectively, the Ombudsman matter and the connected matter, they may—

(a) co-operate with each other in the separate investigation of each of those matters,

(b) act together in the investigation of those matters, and

(c) prepare and publish a joint report containing their respective conclusions in relation to the matters they have each investigated.

(5) If the Ombudsman considers—

(a) that the matter is not a matter into which the Ombudsman is entitled to conduct an investigation, and

(b) that it is appropriate to do so,

the Ombudsman must inform the person who initiated the complaint (if any) about how to secure the referral of the connected matter to the relevant Commissioner.