Now Sir Rob Behrens
Sir Peter Schofield
The King’s Birthday Honours List contains many eminent people from artist Tracey Emin to the not so well known Lord Etherton KC, a retired judge, who compiled a meticulous ground breaking report in 2023 into the disgraceful and inhumane treatment of gay people in the military prior to the lifting of the ban in 2000.
But there are two people who simultaneously received knighthoods which are open to question. They are Robert Behrens, the retiring Parliamentary Ombudsman and Peter Schofield, the current permanent secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions.
Both were at opposite ends over the huge controversy over whether 3.6 million people born in the 1950s should get restitution for maladministration and discrimination over the six year delay in getting their pensions.
Robert Behrens was responsible for compiling a report on whether there was maladministration ( his remit did not have to consider discrimination) over the ministry’s handling of the delay. It was the Ombudsman’s biggest report and he took years to do it, awarded only partial maladministration, and funked giving an award because of ministry opposition, leaving MPs to have to decide whether they get any money.
Peter Schofield was in charge of the department, which was not only totally opposed to giving them a penny, but under his leadership put in a submission to the Ombudsman exonerating his ministry, saying it not made even one mistake, should not be questioned by MPs about it, and further the 3.6 million seeking any money were likely to be fraudsters putting in false claims.
Let down 3.6 million women
Both of them let down 3.6 million law abiding women safe in the knowledge that sooner or later most of them would be dead. But for the government of the day, this was manna from heaven, saving them billions of pounds owed to the women, on top of inevitable pay outs to contaminated blood victims and sub postmasters. I suspect the fact that they were elderly women, who wouldn’t blockade the roads or disrupt public life like Extinction Rebellion and unlikely to be sprightly enough to climb on the roof of Rishi Sunak’s house in protest, was also a factor in their calculations.
No wonder a grateful Establishment would reward those who saved them a lot of money. Of course there is no mention of this in the citations given for the awards, which would add insult to injury. Instead it is tactfully avoided and the awards are for other matters.
For Rob Behrens, and this was emphasised in a tweet on X from his office, the award is more for his role as Health Service Commissioner. He has been outspoken about the toxic culture inside the NHS when patients complain, and in a report called Broken Trust was critical of clinical failings and the way some trusts acted in handling complaints. He followed this up with a letter to the Department for Health jointly with Henrietta Hughes, the Patient Safety Commissioner demanding a fundamental change in NHS culture from a combative to a restorative approach in handling complaints and ensuring there was a patient’s voice on the trust’s executive.
The Ombudsman’s press office reaction to his handling of the 50s women’s case was: “We have set out our findings following a robust, thorough and detailed investigation regarding how changes to the State Pension Age were communicated. It is now for Parliament to take forward and intervene to hold the Department for Work and Pensions to account and provide woman affected with the quickest route to remedy.” I’ll leave you to judge whether that is an adequate explanation.
34 years spent by the DWP producing inaccurate accounts
Now the award to Peter Schofield has to be taken against the background of the ministry’s 34 years of failure to produce accurate accounts because it cannot produce accurate figures on benefits. It is the worst performance across Whitehall and is regularly criticised by the National Audit Office who audit their accounts. According to the citation his award is for the speedy delivery of benefits, especially during the pandemic and for a culture encouraging innovation. I have asked the department to spell out what this means but have had no reply to date.
I notice the delivery of pensions is not cited as a reason to give him a knighthood. This is hardly surprising since the ministry is in the middle of having to pay out millions of pounds to existing pensioners, mainly women again, who have been shortchanged because of the ministry’s mistakes in calculating them. It also has a history of not wanting to implement decisions from the Ombudsman in anything but the most rudimentary way such as over the guaranteed minimum pension .
So do both of them deserve a knighthood? I think the handling of the 50swomen pensions fiasco should have been a factor in NOT awarding one because of the huge number of people who have so far ,been left with nothing. To be fair, Rob Behrens, has been outspoken as Health Services Commissioner, but I have noticed when handling complaints himself, he has been more cautious in his findings.
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Hello DavidThank you for your reports. No these people definitely do NOT deserve a reward of any sort. In fact they should be investigated for their part in wrong doing towards 50sWomen. They go out of their way to make our lives as difficult as they can. They seem to enjoy damaging the very people who need their help the most. I would like to see them put on trial and imprisoned. Yes, I have already decided they are guilty. If I can see it, any jury would see it. Kind regards,Helen Cron
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Rob Behrens only spoke out about failings and lack of accountability in the NHS at the end of his tenure, to leave with strong patient focused words but empty words. His words bear little resemblance to his action in office- fewer complaints were investigated under Behrens, and even fewer than ever were upheld and this was only a minuscule percentage out of all the complaints submitted to the Ombudsman. Can so many complainants who go to all the trouble of jumping through the loops and over the obstacles to get to the PHSO be deluded?
I find the level of let downs and suffering in silence meted out under Behrens at the PHSO is appalling. But knighting Behrens is how the system works- its all about putting a safe pair of hands in places of power and patting one another on the back.
Its also open corruption: https://patientcomplaintdhcftdotcom.wordpress.com/
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These men definitely do not deserve any sort of accolade whatsoever regarding the WASPI women’s pension arrangements. They should hang their heads in shame for their absolutely abominable conduct. This is yet another on the long list of snubs for the 3.5 million women who deserve to be generously rewarded for the enormous wrong done to them.
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It doesn’t end there David because, as you know, I think Hilsenrath got all three of her jobs there by concealing material facts. I’m currently challenging the PHSO about this and after 4 July I’ll be taking it up with the PACAC. By then it should have a Labour majority but I don’t know whether this will make things better or worse. Further down the line, obviously, it will be Dame Rebecca Hilsenrath!
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Yes I have seen from your FOI how she explained away her breach of Covid lockdown rules . I don’t recall any complaint to The Times or me about inaccurate reporting at the time.
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It beggar’s belief that these men should receive anything at all, apart from a prison sentence for continuing to fail us on every front, they lie, hide information and the DWP is the worst department in government for failing many groups of people but especially us. I despair I really do .
David thank you for highlighting their misdemeanours xx
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On 7th July 2004, yes 20 years ago, the Public Administration Committee published its 5th Report which related to the Honours System. At paragraph 168, the committee recommended the setting up of an Honours Commission and at paragraph 173 it recommended the Honours Scrutiny Committee should be abolished. It is well worth a look on Gov.uk to see the current structure as to how potential recipients are assessed.
Mr. Behrens has, during his tenure, reduced what was an already ineffective Ombudsman service to no more than a rump. This is clearly explained in the statistical evidence provided to PACAC by Nicholas Wheatley for their 2023 scrutiny session. The committee concluded reform of the Ombudsman service has been neglected for too long and further delay is no longer tenable. We must wait to assess how Parliament is constituted after July 4th to see if their recommendation is taken up.
My view is these two men should not have been honoured. They have done a great dis-service to the public. There is one glimmer of joy in that we now have Sir Alan Bates, former sub postmaster, as a Knight of the Realm. Good to see a proper Knight in shining armour as opposed to a couple of rust buckets.
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Behrens doesn’t deserve a knighthood. During his tenure he slashed the number of investigations the PHSO carry out each year by 84% (from 3715 to 612) and the number of complaints fully upheld was also slashed by 68% (from 277 to 89) despite a 15% increase in the number of complaints made. Behrens made it far more difficult for members of the public to obtain justice and restitution for the wrongdoings they experienced.
But it would be anomalous if wasn’t given a knighthood as all male Ombudsmen before him have been knighted either before or during their tenure.
Sir Edmund Compton (1967-1971) knighted 1965, before his tenure
Sir Alan Marre (1971-1976) knighted 1970, before his tenure
Sir Idwal Pugh (1976-1978) knighted 1972, before his tenure
Sir Cecil Clothier (1979-1984) knighted 1982, during his tenure
Sir Anthony Barrowclough (1985-1989) knighted 1988, during his tenure
Sir William Reid (1990-1996) knighted 1988, before his tenure
Sir Michael Buckley (1997-2002) knighted 2002, during his tenure
Ann Abraham (2002-2011) the longest serving Ombudsman and the only one not to receive any honour – sexism?
Dame Julie Mellor (2012-2017) made a Dame in 2006 before her tenure
Sir Rob Behrens (2017-2024) the only Ombudsman to be knighted after leaving office.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_and_Health_Service_Ombudsman
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It depends… if the gongs were for blatant conspiracy to save the DWP money in the face of decency, integrity and honesty……. then these two clearly deserve it. A pity they won’t get what they really deserve but then, that evil woman Paula Vennells thought she’d got way with it and was safe! Hope these two get the same treatment and are expected to make redress for those they have truly injured.
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