Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Deferred
Cabinet Office does not monitor diversity of Advisory Assessment Panels, contributing to insular processes.
Recommendation
We asked the Cabinet Office if it monitors and publishes a breakdown of the diversity of panel members, including gender and ethnicity details. The Cabinet Office said that it does not monitor the composition of Advisory Assessment Panels. It told us that Advisory Assessment Panels are dealt with within each department. However, it told us that there may be ways in which it could monitor panel composition more effectively that it could take away to consider.42 One of the ways it could do this would be to proactively provide feedback for unsuccessful candidates.43 The Cabinet Office undertook to review the feasibility and usefulness of compiling data on the diversity makeup of members of Advisory Assessment Panels, with a view to examining any diversity trends in the composition of those panels.44 We challenged the Cabinet Office on whether the process by which the minister appoints the panel, the panel produces a list of appointable candidates, and the Ministers then selects from that list is an insular and circular process. The Cabinet Office responded that it could see how it could appear this way.45 Outreach activities
Government Response Summary
The Cabinet Office will consider collecting and publishing diversity data on Advisory Assessment Panel members via the digital platform in the 2025-26 financial year, but this is contingent on scoping work. They will confirm intentions by April 2025 as part of a new approach to data and transparency.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
3b. PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should: • centrally collect data about those who serve on Advisory Assessment Panels, including diversity data, and publish the aggregate data at least annually. 3.6 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2025 3.7 The Cabinet Office is aware that some departments collect information of this nature, and some do not. The Cabinet Office is considering whether to bring forward plans to collect panel member information via the digital platform in the 2025-26 financial year. However, this requires further detailed scoping work. The government will further consider whether it is able to publish this data regularly and confirm its intentions as part of implementing a new approach to data and transparency by April 2025 (see response to recommendation 1a). The Cabinet Office will discuss with the Commissioner for Public Appointments whether the publication of this data could be included as part of, and in conjunction with, the publication of wider public appointment diversity data.