Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Accepted
Cabinet Office failed to meet 2022 diversity targets and lacks future aspirations.
Recommendation
In June 2019, the Cabinet Office launched a Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan (the Plan”) to focus on broadening access and improving the diversity and quality of appointees.31 The Plan set out ambitions for 50% of all public appointees to be female and 14% of all public appointments to come from ethnic minority backgrounds by 2022.32 The Cabinet Office did not meet these targets. Its Public Appointments Data Report for 2021–22 reported that 47% of all serving public appointees were female and 12% of all appointments and re-appointments were people from an ethnic minority background. However, the NAO’s analysis found that the diversity of new appointees had improved in recent years. In 2022–23 53.7% of new appointees were female and 14.6% were from an ethnic minority background. The Cabinet Office has not set aspirations beyond 2022 and does not have any plans to do so.33
Government Response Summary
The Cabinet Office will publish a new plan to improve diversity across the public appointments system by October 2025.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
4a. PAC recommendation: In its Treasury Minute response to this report, the Cabinet Office should: • state a date by when it will put in place a new diversity action plan for public appointments. 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 4.2 The Cabinet Office will publish a new plan to improve diversity across the public appointments system by October 2025.