Aspects of the Commissioner's Role
Regulating, monitoring and reporting the appointments process
Regulating
The Commissioner has issued detailed guidance for government departments
which defines and interprets the seven principles contained in the
Principles. Departments are allowed some flexibility in how they apply the
Code of
Practice [PDF 179KB, 84 pages], but they
must adhere to the principles.
The investigation of complaints
Complaints [55KB
PDF] can help to identify weaknesses in the appointments process,
enabling prompt remedial action to be taken.
The Commissioner cannot deal with complaints about the way in which a body
is run, but will investigate any complaint about the way in which an
appointment was made, or an applicant was treated.
Monitoring
Selection processes are monitored in three ways:
-
by independent scrutiny during the selection process. No
appointment can be made unless it has first been scrutinised by an
Independent Assessor. These assessors are independent of the department.
Their role is to act as the Commissioner's observer, to ensure that
the selection process complies with the Code and Practice, and that
candidates reaching the final stage are chosen on merit;
-
by annual audit. Each year independent auditors visit a
number of government departments and audit a sample of appointments. The
audit round is arranged so that every government department is visited at
least once every three years;
The Annual Report
The Commissioner produces an annual report that
provides detailed information on the appointments process, as well as
summaries of the auditors' findings, and complaints made; and
highlights of the main issues that arose during the year. It also contains
comprehensive statistics on all appointments made, giving data relating to
gender, ethnicity, disability, age and remuneration.
Independent Assessors are fully independent of the department and act as
the 'eyes and ears' of the Commissioner.
