Courts and Legal Services Act 1990

43 The Conveyancing Ombudsman Scheme

(1) The Board shall, with the approval of the Lord Chancellor, make rules establishing a scheme (to be known as “the Conveyancing Ombudsman Scheme”) for the investigation, by a person appointed by the Board with the approval of the Lord Chancellor, of complaints against authorised practitioners in connection with the provision by them of conveyancing services.

(2) The person so appointed shall be known as “the Conveyancing Ombudsman”.

(3) No person shall be appointed to be the Conveyancing Ombudsman if he is, or has at any time within the period of three years ending with his appointment been—

(a) involved in any capacity in the provision by an authorised practitioner of conveyancing services; or

(b) a member of the Board.

(4) Schedule 7 shall have effect for the purpose of supplementing this section.

(5) A person may be appointed to be both a member of the staff of the Board and a member of the staff of the Conveyancing Ombudsman.

(6) The Conveyancing Ombudsman may not make any charge for the use of his services.

(7) His expenses under the Scheme shall be defrayed by the Board and shall rank as expenses of the Board for the purposes of section 35.

(8) The Conveyancing Ombudsman shall submit to the Board an annual report on the discharge of his functions.

(9) The Board shall, when submitting its own annual report to the Lord Chancellor, send him a copy of the Conveyancing Ombudsman’s annual report.

(10) When laying the Board’s annual report before Parliament, the Lord Chancellor shall also lay before Parliament a copy of the Conveyancing Ombudsman’s report.

(11) It shall be the duty of the Conveyancing Ombudsman to inform the Board of any evidence which comes to his attention suggesting that there has been, or may have been, a breach of any of the rules made under subsection (1) or of the regulations made under section 40.

(12) The Board may—

(a) pay such remuneration and travelling and other allowances to the Conveyancing Ombudsman as may be determined by the Board;

(b) pay such pension, allowances or gratuities to or in respect of the Conveyancing Ombudsman as may be so determined; and

(c) if the Conveyancing Ombudsman ceases to hold office and it appears to the Board that there are special circumstances which make it right that he should receive compensation, pay him such sum as may be so determined.