To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the rights of individual members of the public to make complaints to any of the appropriate ombudsmen about services or projects funded through the private finance initiative in his Department. [36825]

The parliamentary ombudsman has, subject to the conditions of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967, jurisdiction to investigate complaints from members of the public about maladministration by Government Departments, other public sector bodies engaged in the work of central Government, and those acting on their behalf. As a consequence, the ombudsman can investigate complaints of maladministration about any projects or service carried out by or on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry that are funded through the private finance initiative.