Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019

Annual and extraordinary reports

15 (1) The Ombudsman—

(a) must annually prepare a general report on the discharge of the Ombudsman’s functions (an “annual report”);

(b) may prepare any other report with respect to the Ombudsman’s functions that the Ombudsman thinks appropriate (an “extraordinary report”).

(2) A report prepared under this paragraph may include any general recommendations which the Ombudsman may have arising from the discharge of the Ombudsman’s functions.

(3) The Ombudsman must lay a copy of each report prepared under this paragraph before the Assembly and at the same time send a copy to the Welsh Government and (if the report is an extraordinary report) must send a copy of it to any listed authorities (other than the Welsh Government) the Ombudsman thinks appropriate.

(4) The Ombudsman may also send a copy of any report prepared under this paragraph to any other persons the Ombudsman thinks appropriate.

(5) The Ombudsman must, and the Assembly may, publish any report laid before the Assembly under this paragraph.

(6) The Ombudsman must comply with any directions given by the Assembly with respect to an annual report.

(7) If a report prepared under this paragraph—

(a) mentions the name of any person other than a listed authority, care home provider, domiciliary care provider or independent palliative care provider in respect of which—

(i) a complaint has been made or referred to the Ombudsman under this Act, or

(ii) the Ombudsman has begun to investigate under section 4 or 44, or

(b) includes any particulars which, in the opinion of the Ombudsman, are likely to identify any such person and which, in the Ombudsman’s opinion, can be omitted without impairing the effectiveness of the report,

that information must not be included in a version of the report laid before the Assembly under sub-paragraph (3), sent to a person under sub-paragraph (3) or (4) or published by the Ombudsman under sub-paragraph (5), subject to sub-paragraph (8).

(8) Sub-paragraph (7) does not apply in relation to a version of the report if, after taking account of the interests of any persons the Ombudsman thinks appropriate, the Ombudsman considers it to be in the public interest to include that information in that version of the report.