Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure
Both the Northern Ireland Policing Board (the Board) and PSNI Pensions Branch are required by law to have in place suitable Internal Dispute Resolution Procedures (IDRP). This is because the Board has specific obligations as Police Pension Scheme Manager in Northern Ireland. Similarly, PSNI Pensions Branch has specific duties as the Police Pensions Scheme Administrator
IDRP is a formal complaints procedure which provides recourse for any person who has a complaint relating to their pension. These arrangements allow a complainant to have a complaint fully investigated, and a written response provided by either the Board or PSNI Pensions Branch.
Attached below are the IDRP policies for both the Board and PSNI Pensions Branch;
Various complaints and issues can be considered under these policies, examples being;
- The amount of pension you have received/are receiving;
- Refusal to be allowed to transfer in or out of a scheme; and
- Refusal of an award under a scheme to include an Injury on Duty award and/or an Ill Health Retirement.
Your finalised application should be marked for the attention of the Police Pensions and Injury Benefits Directorate (PPIB) who will consider all IDRP complaints.
How can The Pensions Ombudsman help me?
If we are unable to resolve the complaint with you then you can refer your complaint to The Pensions Ombudsman. The Pensions Ombudsman can look at complaints about the way personal and occupational pension schemes are run. This includes things like:
- taking too long to do something without good reason
- not doing something they should have
- not following their own rules or the law
- giving incorrect or misleading information
- not making a decision in the right way.
There is no financial limit on the amount of money that The Pensions Ombudsman can make a party award you. Its Determinations are legally binding on all the parties and are enforceable in court.
Contact with The Pensions Ombudsman needs to be made within three years of when the event(s) you are complaining about happened – or, if later, within three years of when you first knew about it (or ought to have known about it). There is discretion for those time limits to be extended. The Pensions Ombudsman can be contacted at:
10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf,
London
E14 4PU
Tel: 0800 917 4487
Email: Enquiries@pensions-ombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk
You can also submit a complaint online: www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint
Unacceptable Customer Behaviour
The Board recognises that bringing a complaint can be a stressful experience. The Board also has a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of its staff. The Board therefore has in place a policy which sets out its approach to complainants whose actions or behaviours the Board deems to be unacceptable.
The Board will take action to protect staff from behaviour considered unacceptable and as such will not accept communication that is considered;
- Aggressive and/or threatening
- Intimidating
- Unreasonably persistent and/or demanding
- Anything that cause staff to feel upset, threatened, frightened or physically at risk owing to their work with the Board.
This policy applies also to incident that take place outside the workplace, during non-working hours if it can be demonstrated that the incident can be directly connected to Board work.
Selected Medical Practitioner Complaint Policy
The Board is committed to providing a professional service in the administration of benefits related to ill health and injuries on duty. This commitment extends to assessments carried out by the Board’s panel of Selected Medical Practitioners.
If however you are dissatisfied with a Selected Medical Practitioner’s conduct, to include the standard of service provided or their conduct during an assessment, you may raise a complaint through the Selected Medical Practitioner Complaint Policy.