Institute for Government calls for reforms to public appointments system

Reforms are needed for the public appointments system to dispel the public perception of 'cronyism' and fix problems around delayed appointment processes, the Institute for Government (IfG) has said.

In a report, Reforming Public Appointments, the Institute said that the system should be reformed to regulate all appointments made by Government ministers, limit ministerial decision making and exclude politically connected candidates from certain watchdog roles, among other recommendations.

The UK government's public appointments system is used to recruit board members, chairs and a few key executive staff to more than 300 public bodies and statutory offices, including the Regulator of Social Housing, the Competition and Markets Authority, and Ofcom.

According to the IfG, the system is under strain due to persistent public criticism of perceived cronyism, and because politicians don't always trust the system to deliver appointees in whom they can have confidence.

In recent years, there have been high-profile disputes over appointments, such as Paul Dacre's potential appointment as the chair of Ofcom. The IfG said the recruitment process was undermined by reports before the process had properly begun that the government preferred Mr Dacre, former editor of the Daily Mail. Mr Dacre eventually decided not to reapply for the role.

To avoid future disputes, the report recommends that reforms should see politically connected candidates excluded from certain 'constitutional roles', including the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and the Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission.

Appointment processes themselves are also too lengthy, the report suggested. "This leaves some roles requiring temporary cover: of the 31 competitions for 'significant' appointments begun by UK government ministers in 2020/21, eight required temporary appointments to fill the role after the previous occupant's term expired, usually due to a failed or delayed appointment," the report noted.

Last year, the incoming chair of the Charity Commission, whom it had taken eight months to select, quickly had to resign before starting in the post.

Problems also arise before the appointment process begins due to relatively low remuneration for the roles, unclear time commitments and a perception that outcomes are pre-cooked. These problems further dissuade quality applicants, the report added.

The IfG report made the following recommendations:

• regulate all ministerial appointments and publicly explain any exceptions, such as short term unpaid roles
• limit ministerial decision-making to the start and end of an appointment process
• subject appointments to roles that scrutinise the actions of politicians to a veto from the relevant House of Commons select committee
• remove ministers’ ability to appoint a candidate judged unappointable by an assessment panel
• collect and publish data on the causes of delays to enable those responsible to be held to account.
• appoint a chief talent officer, within the Cabinet Office, to ensure the best candidates are identified.

The report is available here.

Adam Carey