Customer Complaint Procedure

Department of the Taoiseach Customer Complaint Procedure

The Department of the Taoiseach is committed to providing a high quality service to all our customers. We regard complaints as an important source of information for improving our services for the future.

What is a complaint?

We define a complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction concerning the provision of a service or services by the Department, as laid out under the commitments in our Customer Charter.

How to make a complaint?

• If you have a cause for complaint, it should be directed initially to the relevant section of the Department. Our staff there will try to deal with the problem without delay or - if the complaint does not relate to a service provided by us - they will direct you to the appropriate body. If you do not know the name of the person in the section to contact (or if you not sure which body you should make your complaint to) our Customer Service Officer, Mr. Nason Fallon, will be happy to advise you.

• If the staff of the section cannot resolve your complaint - or you are unhappy with their response - you can ask for the matter to be reviewed by a senior member of staff from that section.

• If you are still unhappy with the response, you should make a formal complaint to the Customer Service Officer, who will investigate the complaint on your behalf.

• You can make a formal complaint in person, by phone or fax, in writing, by email or by completing the Comments, Suggestions or Complaints Form (available from Reception and online on the Department's website)

  Mr. Nason Fallon	LoCall: 1890 227 227 Note that the rates charged for the use of the 1890 (LoCall) numbers may vary among different service providers.
  Customer Service Officer	Tel: 01 619 4116
  Department of the Taoiseach	Fax: 01 619 4258
  Government Buildings	Email: nason.fallon@taoiseach.gov.ie
  Upper Merrion Street
  Dublin 2

        

What information should you provide?

You will help to speed up the investigation of your complaint by providing the following details:

• Your name, address and email address (optional);

• Exactly what you were dissatisfied with;

• The name of the official(s) or section(s) who dealt with you (if known); and

• A daytime telephone number, if you would be happy for us to contact you by phone this may help us to resolve the matter more quickly.

Departments Commitments when dealing with Formal Complaints

• We will acknowledge all complaints within 3 working days.

• We will investigate all complaints and issue a reply to your complaint within 15 working days or, where this is not possible, an interim reply will issue explaining the position and advising when a substantive response will issue.

• All complaints will be treated promptly, fairly, impartially and in confidence.

• We will keep records of complaints separate from other records.

• We will ensure that no complaint you have made in good faith will be used to your disadvantage in the future.

• We will endeavour to learn from mistakes to ensure that errors are not repeated.

Can you appeal?

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation by the Customer Service Officer, the matter may be appealed to the Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Paul McGarry. The deadlines for receiving responses to appeals will be the same as those for formal complaints (outlined above).

If the matter is still not resolved?

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your appeal, you have a right to appeal to the Office of the Ombudsman.  The Ombudsman is completely independent of the Government and the service is free.  Nothing in this complaint procedure affects your statutory rights under Freedom of Information, Data Protection or other relevant legislation.

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