Recommendation 26

The Department reiterated that, despite the vacancies, all the museums’ and galleries’ boards had been quorate.60 However, it acknowledged that the appointments process had been too slow and that addressing the delays was on its agenda as it sought to address those factors that it could control.61 It had undertaken its own review of the appointments process last year to look at how it could improve the time taken, including speed to interview and the clearances required after decisions by the independent 55 Qq 41-42 56 Qq 40-42 57 C&AG’s Report, para 15 58 Qq 19-20 and 22 59 Q 20 60 C&AG’s Report, para 15; Q 19 61 Qq 19 and 23 17 panel.62 It had also commissioned an external review which looked at the experiences of the Department for Transport, which, like the Department, has a number of important arm’s-length bodies.63