Committee on Standards in Public Life: Getting the balance right: Implementing standards of conduc…
R10-5
Published January 2005
Response position and delivery status are recorded separately. Acceptance does not establish implementation.
Recommendation (the Committee's words)
(a) The process for ‘starred’ appointments, i.e. senior competitions likely to attract the specific interest and involvement of Ministers, should be set out in the Code of Practice as a special starred category. (b) Starred appointments should be identified in annual, published, Public Appointments Plans which set out a department’s public appointments record, policy and implementation plans. (c) For other appointments which are not starred, Ministers may wish and should be able to sign off the planning arrangements for the competition. They should not be consulted at short-list stage and should not be involved again until the post-interview final selection of the candidate to be appointed.
From: Committee on Standards in Public Life, Getting the balance right: Implementing standards of conduct in public life, January 2005
Government response
Government response (the government's words)
The Government welcomes the Committee’s acknowledgment that the principle of participation by Ministers in the public appointments process is not incompatible with the independence and integrity of the system. It also welcomes the fact that there is common ground here among a variety of important stakeholders, including the Commissioner for Public Appointments, Permanent Secretaries, Ministers and other informed players and observers. Ministers are a very important stakeholder in the public appointments process. Under the legislation which establishes public bodies, Ministers are responsible for making appointments. They are accountable for the
performance of individual public appointees and the bodies to which they are appointed. For these reasons, the Government therefore believes it is only right that Ministers should have a proper and transparent involvement in the process. The Government will work with the Commissioner to ensure that there is an agreed approach which provides clarity and openness about the degree of ministerial involvement.
performance of individual public appointees and the bodies to which they are appointed. For these reasons, the Government therefore believes it is only right that Ministers should have a proper and transparent involvement in the process. The Government will work with the Commissioner to ensure that there is an agreed approach which provides clarity and openness about the degree of ministerial involvement.
From: HM Government. Source document ↗