Addressee: Cabinet Office · Source location: Page 10, a
Cabinet Office should:
a.) Set out what good looks like for the appointments process, which should include who needs to be involved at each stage, the length of time the process should take and how candidates will be kept informed. It should also set out expectations on use of its new data system
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Autumn 2025
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Cabinet Office · Source location: Page 10, b
b.) Use the data from its new tracking system to provide departmental Permanent
Secretaries with regular information on:
? how appointments are being logged and maintained in the new data system;
? the progress of appointments within their departments; and
? benchmarking information against the performance of other departments.
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Cabinet Office · Source location: Page 10, c
c.) Work with departmental appointments teams to:
? understand where there are delays in the system and use this data to
streamline the process where possible; and
? improve how organisations identify the skills and diversity they need for
a particular role, and tailor adverts accordingly.
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Autumn 2025
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Cabinet Office · Source location: Page 10, d
d.) Work with departments and their arm?s-length bodies to improve consistency of approach to appointments across government, through support, guidance and sharing of good practice.
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Cabinet Office · Source location: Page 10, e
e Establish new targets for measuring success regarding the diversity of non-executive directors and use the new data system to track and publish progress against these targets.
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
In progress
· Spring 2026
Addressee: Cabinet Office · Source location: Page 10, f
f.) Consider the opportunities afforded by the new system in matching candidates to potential positions. This could include:
? fast-tracking appointable candidates for other roles;
? how it makes the process easier when a re-appointment is the best course of action; and
? making best use of the new ?future opportunities pool? data it is collecting
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Autumn 2025
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Cabinet Office · Source location: Page 10, g
g.) Consider how it could develop a risk-based system for appointments and where appropriate, for example, in the case of lower-risk appointments, see if there are new approaches, such as delegated sign-off, it could introduce to reduce the time the appointments take
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
Addressee: Cabinet Office · Source location: Page 10, h
h.) Publish data on when decisions are made to provide transparency on appointments.
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Confirmed by NAO