Anti-bribery policy

It is the Housing Ombudsman Service policy to conduct all of our business in an honest and ethical manner. We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our relationships wherever we operate and to implementing and enforcing effective systems to counter bribery.

We will uphold all laws relevant to countering bribery and corruption. We remain bound by the laws of the UK, including the Bribery Act 2010.

The purpose of this policy is to:

• set out our responsibilities, and of those working for us, in observing and upholding our position on bribery
• provide information and guidance to employees on how to deal with bribery issues

In this policy, third party means any individual or organisation you come into contact with during the course of your work for the Housing Ombudsman Service.

A bribe is an inducement or reward offered, promised, or provided to gain any commercial, contractual, regulatory, or personal advantage. The Bribery Act contains three types of bribery:

• bribing another person
• accepting a bribe
• bribing a foreign official

All employees are required to comply with the Housing Ombudsman’s policies and procedures and apply best practice in order to prevent bribery. Staff should be made aware of their own responsibilities in protecting the Housing Ombudsman Service from bribery.

Employees who are involved in or manage internal control systems will receive adequate training and support in order to carry out their responsibilities.

Employees are expected to act in accordance with the standards laid down by their professional institutes, where applicable, and have a personal responsibility to ensure that they are familiar with them.

All employees have a responsibility to comply with applicable laws and regulations relating to ethical business behaviour, procurement, personal expenses, conflicts of interest, confidentiality and the acceptance of gifts and hospitality. This means, in addition to maintaining the normal standards of personal honesty and integrity, all employees should always:

• avoid acting in a way that might cause others to allege or suspect them of dishonesty
• behave in a way that would not give cause for others to doubt that Housing Ombudsman’s employees deal fairly and impartially with official matters
• be alert to the possibility that others might be attempting to deceive

All employees have a duty to ensure that public funds are safeguarded, whether or not they are involved with cash or payment systems, receipts or dealing with contractors or suppliers. If in doubt about a decision, employees are asked to ask themselves 2 questions:

1. What would the public expect? [of my decision, action, conduct]
2. How might the public perceive? [my decision, action, conduct]

Any employee who suspects that bribery has taken place should ensure it is reported to the Director of Finance & Corporate Services.

You must ensure that you read, understand and comply with this policy.

Any employee who breaches this policy will face disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal.

This section outlines the action to be taken if bribery is discovered or suspected. If an employee has any of the concerns mentioned in this document, they should, in
the first instance immediately inform:

Michael Letters – Director of Finance & Corporate Services
Email – mletters@housing-ombudsman.org.uk

You are encouraged to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of malpractice at the earliest possible stage with the Director of Finance & Corporate Services, or by completing the online whistleblowing disclosure form in accordance with HOS’s Whistleblowing policy. If you are unsure whether a particular act constitutes bribery, or if you have any other queries, these should be raised with the Director of Finance & Corporate Services or the designated Whistleblowing Officer (wbofficer@housing-ombudsman.org.uk).

If your concern involves a Director, you should contact the Chief Operating Officer. If it involves the Chief Operating Officer, you should contact the Ombudsman. If your concern regards the Ombudsman, you should contact the Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (aracchair@housing-ombudsman.org.uk).

It is important that you tell the Director of Finance & Corporate Services as soon as possible if you are offered a bribe, are asked to make one, suspect that this may happen in the future, or believe that you are a victim of another form of unlawful activity.

Employees who refuse to accept or offer a bribe, or those who raise concerns or report another's wrongdoing, are sometimes worried about possible repercussions. We aim to encourage openness and will support anyone who raises genuine concerns in good faith under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken.

The Housing Ombudsman Service are committed to ensuring no one suffers any detrimental treatment as a result of refusing to take part in bribery, or because of reporting in good faith their suspicion that an actual or potential bribery or other corruption offence has taken place or may take place in the future.

This policy does not prohibit some normal and appropriate hospitality (given and received) to or from third parties, provided that this is done in accordance with the housing Ombudsman’s Financial Procedures.

All employees must declare any gifts or hospitality that has been offered or accepted and it must be recorded on the Housing Ombudsman’s gifts and hospitality register which is saved in the e-Library. Any gifts kept personally should not exceed £25 in value. Any gifts exceeding £25 should be shared amongst staff or returned. New entries to the register will be provided to each Audit and Risk Assurance Committee meeting.

Monitoring is essential to ensure that controls are appropriate and robust enough to prevent bribery. Arrangements include reviewing system controls on an on-going basis and identifying and responding to weaknesses in processes.

Where deficiencies are identified as a result of monitoring appropriate action plans are developed to implement any recommendations. These are monitored by the Executive Leadership Team.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following policies:

• Whistleblowing Policy
• Disciplinary Policy
• Conflicts of Interest Policy