This Act provides the means of fulfilling the duty imposed on the Parliament by section91(1) of the Scotland Act 1998 to make provision for the investigation of maladministration complaints against members of the Scottish Executive in the exercise of functions conferred on the Scottish Ministers and against other office-holders in the Scottish Administration.
The Act establishes a Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to deal with complaints currently dealt with by the Scottish Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, the Health Service Commissioner for Scotland, the Commissioner for Local Administration in Scotland and the Housing Association Ombudsman for Scotland.
The Ombudsman also takes over the Mental Welfare Commission's function of investigating complaints relating to mental health as well as complaints against Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise whose External Complaints Adjudicators are wound up.