Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the powers of the Communications Ombudsman.

The Government has not assessed the potential merits of increasing the powers of the Communications Ombudsman and has no plans to expand its remit.

Ofcom, the independent regulator of communications services, approves Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes for UK communication and postal services, including the Communications Ombudsman. Ofcom is required to assess whether the schemes it has approved still meet the requirements under the relevant regulations and Ofcom can modify conditions of approval or withdraw approval at any time.