The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments
The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) supports the work of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, a position which is independent of the government. This position is now held by Mrs Janet Gaymer, CBE. The Commissioner's role is to regulate, monitor, report and advise on appointments made by UK Ministers and by members of the Welsh Assembly Government to the boards of around 1,100 national and regional public bodies. Some bodies within Northern Ireland also fall under Commissioner’s remit.
Both Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own Commissioners who, although sharing similar procedures and objectives, are separate from the post of Commissioner for Public Appointments in England and Wales.
Government departments are required to follow the Commissioner's Principles and detailed Code of Practice [PDF 179KB, 84 pages] when making these public appointments. The Commissioner is also responsible for investigating complaints [55KB PDF].The Commissioner and OCPA do not themselves make any appointments; their role is regulatory.
This site details the main aspects of the work carried out by the Commissioner and OCPA and also provides helpful links to other bodies.
If you wish to apply for a Public Appointment please visit the Public Appointments Unit website, http://www.publicappointments.gov.uk for further information. [External website]
