Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of resources available to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to (a) consider referrals in a reasonable timeframe and (b) to manage the demand on its services.

The Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO), as an independent organisation, requested and received an increase in funding at the 2021 Spending Review, with its total Resource budget £41.8m in 2023/24 and Capital budget £11.7m.

As it is independent from Government and accountable to Parliament with its work is scrutinised by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. It is therefore, not for HM Treasury to comment on the adequacy of the resources available to the PHSO.