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MPs have accused the chair of the Monetary Ombudsman Service of “disrespectful” behaviour, saying she tried to cease them discovering out that the physique’s chief government was sacked after a “mutual collapse in confidence”.
The scathing findings by the Home of Commons Treasury choose committee add to a deepening disaster on the FOS. Its powers are set to be curbed by chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Mansion Home speech on Tuesday after it grew to become a lightning rod for Metropolis criticism of regulators.
MPs have been annoyed by FOS chair Baroness Zahida Manzoor’s refusal at a February hearing to explain why its chief government Abby Thomas left the ombudsman unexpectedly that month after lower than three years within the job, apart from repeating that it was “a mutual settlement”.
Manzoor continued to withstand answering the committee’s questions after the listening to, demanding the MPs promise to maintain any solutions confidential and arguing that she couldn’t be compelled to offer data as a result of she was a member of the Home of Lords, the committee mentioned.
The MPs mentioned on Monday that argument, whereas “strictly true”, was “pointless and disrespectful”, including that friends taking management roles at public our bodies should settle for scrutiny from the Commons.
Manzoor solely answered the MPs questions after they compelled the FOS to reveal key paperwork round Thomas’s departure. These data confirmed she was dismissed by the board after “basic disagreements” over technique, administration and operations led to a “collapse in confidence on each side”, the committee mentioned.
It didn’t publish the paperwork, however mentioned the collapse in confidence that led to the board firing Thomas “coated a broad vary of points and was not pushed by a single occasion or subject”.
“I’m afraid that the dealing with of this case by the senior management of the Monetary Ombudsman Service has been deeply disappointing,” mentioned Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury choose committee.
Hillier mentioned the failure of FOS administrators to frustrate the committee’s inquiry “sends a transparent message to any organisation contemplating comparable motion in future” that MPs will get solutions “whether or not senior officers try to dam them or not”.
Baroness Manzoor, who plans to step down as FOS chair firstly of August, mentioned: “I’m dedicated to offering open and clear proof to the committee, however there are uncommon cases when that may be troublesome — significantly when it pertains to employment issues.”
Thomas was beneath strain to take a much less consumer-friendly strategy, based on an individual accustomed to the matter, who mentioned the ombudsman’s board was annoyed at her reluctance to start out charging claims-management firms for bringing instances — a step it has since taken.
The upheaval underlines how the normally low-key physique — which offers with client complaints in opposition to the monetary sector — has come beneath scrutiny for its position within the multibillion-pound scandal over automobile loans, following claims by Metropolis companies that it was deterring traders within the UK.
Metropolis minister Emma Reynolds mentioned final month that the ombudsman could be overhauled to cease it performing like “a quasi-regulator”. This opened the door to the potential introduction of a brand new attraction course of for firms to problem its choices if they’re seen as contradicting the principles set by the Monetary Conduct Authority, the principle watchdog.
“The Monetary Ombudsman Service performs a significant position in sustaining client confidence, however it’s clear that the best way complaints are at the moment assessed can sometimes create uncertainty for companies, particularly the place choices depart from present and established FCA guidelines and steerage,” mentioned Simon Harrington, head of public affairs on the Private Funding Administration and Monetary Recommendation Affiliation.
