2022 Independent Review of our Scheme has commenced

The Independent Review is a legislative requirement of the TIO scheme and must be undertaken every five years. The review examines whether the TIO scheme complies with the Benchmarks for Industry Based Customer Dispute Resolution.

The TIO has appointed Queen Margaret University from Edinburgh, Scotland to conduct the 2022 review, including the public consultation.

Commenting on the review, Ombudsman Judi Jones said the organisation has “come a long way” since the previous review in 2017.

“This review provides an opportunity to reflect on how we are performing. It provides a valuable contribution to what we need to focus on in order to improve our service for consumers.”

“The reviewers have extensive international expertise in external dispute resolution, and we are looking forward to them bringing that lens to the job,” said Judi.

The independent review will examine whether the TIO scheme complies with the Benchmarks for Industry Based Customer Dispute Resolution. The reviewers will consider the effectiveness of the TIO’s:

• complaint handling and dispute resolution operations
• systemic issue identification
• complaint data and reporting
• member and consumer stakeholder engagement and outreach activities
• government and regulator engagement
• modernised Terms of Reference
• governance and authorising environment.

The final report will be delivered to the Ombudsman in August.

The last review took place in 2017. The reviewers identified areas for improvement and acknowledged the importance of the TIO’s work and many things the organisation did well.

What did the TIO implement from the last Independent Review’s recommendations?

• establishing a Consumer Panel (March 2020)
• strengthening of our systemics and policy influencing roles by including a separate, more robust section in the new Terms of Reference
• establishing a technical team
• improved reporting
• publishing reports on systemic issues (since 2018)
• publishing quarterly reporting of complaints data (since 2019)
• delegated decision making (July 2020)
• modernising Terms of Reference (in effect from 1 January 2022)
• progressing our technology platform upgrade – Project Echo.

Information regarding the public consultation process is now available.