Working for public and animal health

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Complaints procedure

If you have a complaint about our service we want to hear about it so we can look at our procedures and see where they can be improved. We want to learn from our mistakes and ensure you are happy with our service.

If you have a complaint, what should you do?

In the first instance you should speak, or write, to the person you have been dealing with. If you are telephoning, please make it clear that you wish to make a complaint, and provide full details of your complaint including any relevant dates.

We will acknowledge the complaint within five working days. Unless the complaint concerns other work areas, policy matters or financial issues, that person (or their Head of Department) will reply to you directly in writing, otherwise they will refer your complaint to the most appropriate person.

If you are not content with the reply you receive from a department, or if you would prefer not to deal directly with your contact, you can write to, or telephone, the VLA Quality Manager on 01932 359558 who will ensure that your complaint is dealt with appropriately. Please supply as much information as possible.

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving a reply from the Quality Manager you may pursue the matter by writing to the Chief Executive.

If you are still not satisfied after the Chief Executive has replied to your complaint you can ask your Member of Parliament (MP) to raise the matter either with the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) or with the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman is entirely independent of Government, and functions to investigate complaints by members of the public about the way they have been treated by Government Departments and their Executive Agencies. You should bear in mind that they can only act when requested to do so by an MP.

The Ombudsman can be contacted at: