Prior to becoming Police Ombudsman in July 2019, Mrs Anderson had served since 2016 as the Public Services Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. She also held during this time the statutory offices of Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards and Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Ombudsman.
Prior to becoming Police Ombudsman in July 2019, Mrs Anderson had served since 2016 as the Public Services Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. She also held during this time the statutory offices of Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards and Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Ombudsman.
As such, she was responsible for investigating complaints of maladministration about all public service providers in Northern Ireland (except the PSNI and the Public Prosecution Service). These included complaints about central and local government, as well as complaints about professional judgment in health and social care, including those relating to independent health and social care providers.
As the Local Government Commissioner for Standards she was responsible for investigating and adjudicating on complaints about breaches of the Northern Ireland Local Government Code of Conduct for Councillors (the Code). In her adjudication role she made binding decisions on whether the Code was breached and imposed sanction. She also published guidance and made recommendations for changes in practice to promote good governance in local government.
Mrs Anderson was the Deputy Northern Ireland Ombudsman between 2009 and 2016. Prior to that she served for five years as the Assistant Information Commissioner for Northern Ireland and established the Information Commissioner’s Office in Northern Ireland.
Previously Chair of the Ombudsman Association Legal Interest Group, Mrs Anderson is a Solicitor and Member of the Law Society of Northern Ireland and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration.