WHAT IS CHARTER MARK?

Charter Mark is the Government’s award scheme for recognising and encouraging excellence in public service. It is unique among quality schemes in the way it concentrates on results - the service the customer actually receives.

The achievement of Charter Mark by the General Register Office illustrates our commitment to meeting our customer’s needs and delivering a first class service.

The General Register office was awarded the Charter Mark in January 2000.

GENERAL REGISTER OFFICE CHARTER STATEMENT

The GRO is committed to delivering a high quality service to the public and sets minimum standards of performance for all our staff. It is expected that these standards will be met in all cases and exceeded in most.

You can expect our staff to:-

  • Be courteous and helpful at all times.
  • Give you the information you need about our services.
  • Process personal applications for certificates within 3 working days and postal, fax, telephone and online applications within 7 working days.
  • Process priority applications within 1 hour for personal callers. Priority applications received by post, fax, telephone will be issued by first class mail, on the day of receipt provided they are received before 2.30pm.
  • Listen to your views and act on any comments, suggestions or criticisms.
  • Apologise if something goes wrong; explain what happened and put things right.
When your telephone call comes through to our office we will:-
  • Answer your call as promptly as possible.
  • Tell you the name of the person you are dealing with.
  • Deal with your query as fully and helpfully as possible.
  • If your call has to be transferred to another person, your name and details of your enquiry will be passed on before you speak to them.
When you visit our office you can expect:-
  • Staff to wear a name badge at all times.
  • To talk to an officer who can help you.
  • To be attended to within 10 minutes
  • A private room to be provided, when necessary, which affords confidentiality.
  • Wheel chair access to be provided.
When you write to us you can expect:-
  • To receive a response to your written enquiry within 4 working days. If this is not possible we will explain the delay and tell you when you can expect a full reply.
  • The letter you receive to be written in plain English.
GRO COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES

-OUR COMMITMENT

The General Register Office and the local registration of fices are committed to providing the highest standard of service to all our customers. Details of the standard you can expect are set out in our Charter Mark statement, which you can obtain from our Public Office or the GRO website. (www.groni.gov.uk) Our aim is to get things right the first time and in most cases we succeed, but sometimes things can go wrong.

If you are not satisfied with any aspect of our service you are encouraged to let us know and we will do our best to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

This leaflet tells you what steps to take if you wish to make a complaint.

YOU CAN COMPLAIN IF YOU ARE

Dissatisfied with any aspect of the registration or certificate production service in relation to:
  • births,
  • marriages.
  • deaths,
  • adoptions,
  • certificates.
HOW TO COMPLAIN TO GRO

Informal Procedure
In most cases it is possible to resolve a complaint on the spot by informing the person you are dealing with that you are not satisfied. If you can't agree you should ask to speak to a supervisor. If you are not satisfied with the answer you have received you may use our formal complaints procedure and contact the Customer Services Manager.

Formal Procedure
You can contact the Customer Services Manager by:
  • telephoning
  • writing
  • e-mailing
Explaining full details of your complaint. We will ensure that all complaints are thoroughly and impartially investigated.
The address and telephone number for the Customer Services Manager is:

The Customer Services Manager,
General Register Office,
Oxford House,
49-55 Chichester Street,
Belfast, BT1 4HL

Telephone: 028 9025 2042
E-mail: gro.nisra@dfpni.gov.uk

WHAT HAPPENS THEN?/WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?

Your complaint will be:
  • Acknowledged on day of receipt.
  • Investigated thoroughly.
  • Treated confidentially.
  • Responded to fully, in writing, within 10 working days.
Our reply will:
  • Give a full explanation of our investigations;
  • Give an apology where we have made a mistake, and
  • Let you know what we have done to put things right.
If there is any delay in dealing with your complaint we will let you know the reason for this and when you may expect to receive a full reply.
If you are not satisfied by the Customer Services Manager's reply, you may write to:

Assistant Registrar General,
General Register Office,
Oxford House,
49-55 Chichester Street,
Belfast BT1 4HL

He/she will reply within 10 working days.

If you are still not satisfied, you may write to:

Registrar General,
McAuley House,
2-14 Castle Street,
Belfast BT1 1SA

He/she will reply within 10 working days.

IF YOU ARE STILL DISSATISFIED

We are committed to doing our best to resolve any complaint you may have. If having received our replies you are still dissatisfied, you may choose to refer your complaint to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Ombudsman). The Ombudsman will normally only deal with your complaint after you have used the General Register Office's complaints procedure.

The Ombudsman is totally independent of NISRA and of Government. There is no charge for these services.

The Ombudsman’s address is:

By Letter:
The Assembly Ombudsman
Freepost
Belfast BT1 6BR

In Person:
The Ombudsman's Office
Progressive House
33 Wellington Place
Belfast BT1 6HN

Telephone: 028 9023 3821
Freephone: 0800 343424
Email: ombudsman@ni-ombudsman.org.uk
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