Whereas a locally convex Hausdorff space X inherits any completeness properties that the space of continuous linear operators, L (X), in X, may have (for the topology of pointwise convergence in X), this is not so in the converse situation and is the problem discussed here. The barrelledness of X in its Mackey topology plays an important role: if L (X) is quasicomplete, then X is barrelled for its Mackey topology. Consequently, for Mackey spaces X is turns out that L (X) is quasicomplete if and only if X is quasicomplete and barrelled: this is false if sequential completeness is substituted for quasicompleteness. Furthermore, there exist non-barrelled spaces X for which X and L (X) are quasicomplete (sequentially complete). Hence, although barrelledness is a sufficient condition for completeness of L (X) in various senses, it is certainly not necessary.