Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Accepted
Paragraph: 59
The system of public appointments is predicated on the principle that such appointments are the...
Recommendation
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.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government has introduced a new model policy to improve the management of outside interests in the Civil Service.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
59
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The Government agrees that Ministers should retain the right to make appointments, with Ministers being accountable to Parliament for any appointments they make. The Government accepts that a stronger degree of accountability is appropriate in the event that a Minister decides to appoint a candidate not deemed appointable by an Advisory Assessment Panel. Should such an appointment occur, Ministers will be obliged to write to their Select Committee, and appear before it if requested by the Select Committee Chair. The Governance Code on Public Appointments will be amended to reflect this. The Government notes that no such appointments have been made since the Grimstone Review in 2016. 2.2 The Role of the Commissioner for Public Appointments regarding Panel Composition Committee on Standards in Public Life,
Read the full response on Parliament ↗