IPSA

What IPSA does

The Compliance Officer for IPSA (operating under the brand "IPSA Compliance") is an independent statutory office-holder established by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, as amended by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Its remit is defined in statute and comprises two functions: conducting investigations where there is reason to believe an MP may have been paid amounts under the Scheme of MPs' Staffing and Business Costs that should not have been allowed, and reviewing, at an MP's request, IPSA decisions to refuse or partially refuse an expense claim. The role is supported by a part-time Investigations Officer (three days per week) and is itself part-time (two days per week), for a total of two staff positions — a staffing profile that diverges sharply from the firmographic headcount range of 51–100 employees, which appears to be inherited from or conflated with the parent IPSA organization.

The office operates with statutory independence from IPSA's Board, which provides funding but does not direct day-to-day work. It maintains regular dialogue with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, the Metropolitan Police, the Serjeant at Arms, and the Information Commissioner's Office. Customers (or more accurately, service recipients) fall into three groups: MPs seeking reviews of IPSA expense decisions, members of the public submitting complaints about suspected improper MP expenses, and IPSA itself, which refers concerns for investigation. The office publishes investigation findings, closure reports, and decision statements publicly, and MPs retain appeal rights to the First-tier Tribunal. The current Compliance Officer is Matt Walker, appointed in 2022 after retiring as a Detective Superintendent from North Yorkshire Police. The office handles hundreds of complaints per year spanning financial years 2017–18 through 2025–26, with most complaints closed prior to formal investigation.

The office has no commercial revenue model; it is funded through parliamentary appropriations via IPSA's Board. All services are free of charge as the role is a statutory public office-holder. It holds Cyber Essentials Plus and CIPP Payroll Assurance Scheme certifications and operates through a website (parliamentarycompliance.org.uk), LinkedIn, and X (Twitter). The office is not a technology product company, has no proprietary technology stack, no API, and no AI capabilities — its outputs are formal investigative and review determinations under published Procedures for Investigations (currently fifth edition).

Name

IPSA

Legal name

Compliance Officer for IPSA

Website

https://parliamentarycompliance.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IPSA Compliance is the UK statutory office-holder that investigates complaints about MPs' expenses under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 and reviews IPSA expense decisions at MPs' request, operating independently with two part-time staff in London.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Regulatory Services

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Public Administration (92)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIADAE

Audit, Compliance Monitoring & Investigations

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Tax, Revenue & Customs Administration

Keywords

• Parliamentary expense oversight
• MP expenses investigation
• Statutory compliance reviews
• Regulatory complaint handling
• Parliamentary standards enforcement

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: IPSA's Board provides funding to carry out the Compliance Officer's duties. The Compliance Officer reports to but is not directed by IPSA's Board and maintains independence on a day-to-day basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IPSA Compliance is the office of the Compliance Officer for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), established as a statutory independent office under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009. Its fundamental role is to investigate complaints about MPs' business costs and expenses under the MPs' Scheme of Expenses and to conduct administrative reviews of decisions made by IPSA.

Product overview

IPSA Compliance is not a technology product company but rather a statutory oversight body (the Compliance Officer for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority). Their 'services' are government regulatory functions: investigating complaints about MPs' staffing and business costs, conducting reviews of IPSA expense determinations at MPs' request, handling Freedom of Information requests, and publishing investigation reports and decision statements. These are public sector administrative functions, not commercial software products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investigation of complaints about MPs' expenses Investigation of complaints about MPs' business costs and expenses under the MPs' Scheme of Expenses, conducted by the Compliance Officer as an independent statutory function.
• Administrative review of IPSA decisions Administrative review of decisions made by IPSA, available to MPs who seek independent reconsideration of IPSA determinations.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Parliamentary Commissioner for StandardscoreOthersRegular dialogue maintained with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards regarding matters of mutual interest and referral of cases that fall outside the Compliance Officer's remit.
• Metropolitan PolicecoreOthersRegular dialogue maintained for cases involving potential criminal matters related to MP expenses that may require police involvement.
• Serjeant at ArmscoreOthersRegular dialogue maintained regarding parliamentary matters and operational coordination.
• IPSA BoardcoreOthersIPSA's Board provides funding to the Compliance Officer and receives reports, but does not direct the Compliance Officer's work. The Compliance Officer maintains independence on a day-to-day basis.
• His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS)minorOthersThe Compliance Officer (Matt Walker) serves as an Associate Inspector for HMICFRS, specialising in tackling serious organised crime, professional standards, vetting, anti-corruption and integrity.
• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)coreOthersThe Compliance Officer is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Individuals dissatisfied with FOI responses can apply to the ICO under section 50 of the FOIA.
• First-tier TribunalcoreOthersMPs have the right to appeal Compliance Officer decisions (repayment directions or penalties) to the First-tier Tribunal within 28 days.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards: The UK Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards investigates MPs' alleged breaches of the House of Commons Code of Conduct and registration of financial interests. It is the closest peer to the Compliance Officer for IPSA, with which it maintains a regular dialogue and cross-referral relationship for cases falling outside its own remit.
• House of Lords Commissioner for Standards: The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards investigates alleged breaches of the Lords Code of Conduct by members of the House of Lords. It is a direct structural parallel to the Compliance Officer for IPSA but operates in the upper chamber rather than for MPs' expenses.
• Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA): IPSA is the body that pays MPs' expenses and refers suspected improper payments to the Compliance Officer for investigation. It is the parent funding entity and the principal counterpart for the Compliance Officer's review jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): The ICO is the UK's independent regulatory office for data protection and information rights. It is a comparable independent statutory office-holder that handles complaints, investigations, and Freedom of Information appeals, and serves as the appeal body for the Compliance Officer's FOI responses.
• Electoral Commission: The Electoral Commission is the UK's independent regulator of elections and political finance. It is a much larger statutory regulator performing a comparable oversight-and-compliance function over politicians and political actors, although in a different regulatory domain.
• National Audit Office (NAO): The NAO is the UK's independent parliamentary body that audits government spending and departments. It is a broader public-sector auditor and scrutineer, comparable in its statutory independence and public-reporting mandate to the Compliance Officer for IPSA.
• Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman investigates complaints about UK government departments and the NHS. It is a comparable UK statutory ombudsman with similar case-investigation and public-reporting functions, though operating in different subject domains.
• Committee on Standards in Public Life: The Committee on Standards in Public Life advises the UK Prime Minister on ethical standards across public life. It operates in an adjacent standards-and-integrity space to the Compliance Officer for IPSA, although it focuses on policy and advisory work rather than individual case investigation.

Regional players

• Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigates complaints about councils and social care providers in England. It is a comparable UK ombudsman/regulatory office with a similar complaint-driven investigation model but different subject-matter jurisdiction.
• Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commission: The Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commission oversees compliance with the Scottish Parliament's Code of Conduct for MSPs. It is a regional peer performing a structurally identical oversight function for a different parliament within the UK.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ipsaUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-independent-parliamentary-standards-authority-ipsa-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IPSA