Recommendation 10

The system of public appointments is predicated on the principle that such appointments are the responsibility of the relevant Minister and it is they that should be held accountable for them. On this basis, we endorse the recommendation of the Committee on Standards in Public Life that Ministers wishing to appoint a candidate deemed unappointable for a role or, if the competition is being rerun, who was previously deemed unappointable, should have to appear before the relevant Select Committee to explain their decision and to do so before the appointment is confirmed. The Governance Code should be updated accordingly.