Commissioner and Public Appointments
Public bodies play a real part in shaping and influencing national policy
and decision-making, from advice-giving organisations like the Advisory
Board on Family Law, to those delivering public services, such as NHS Trusts and the BBC. Appointments to the
boards of public bodies are more commonly known as public appointments.
Government Departments work hard to ensure that there is a fair and open
process.
Although appointments are generally made by Ministers, the administration
of your application will be handled by either civil servants in
Government Departments, or, on occasions, by a recruitment
consultant.
Public Bodies
Ministers make a large number of appointments to regional and national
public bodies each year. These Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), often referred to
as "Quangos",
have an important role to play in the running of this country. They act to
a greater or lesser extent at arms length from Ministers, although
Ministers remain accountable for the bodies' performance.
Appointees come from all walks of life. They are selected for their ability
to make a contribution to the effective running of the body. As well as
NDPBs, the
Commissioner's remit covers Ministerial appointments to nationalised
industries, public corporations, NHS bodies and the utility regulators.
For details about the different types of Public Bodies and the Departments
they come under, see the Public
Bodies Website [External website].
The Range of Appointments
Public bodies are diverse. They range from local NHS Trusts to national bodies such as
the BBC, or
more specialised advisory bodies such as Disability Rights Commission or
the Law Commission.
The skills and experience required of board members are equally varied.
They include being able to contribute to decision making at a strategic
level, having professional experience in a particular field, or
representing consumer interests on matters such as health.
The terms of appointment also vary considerably. Some require a full time
commitment, others just a few hours each month. About half of appointments
are unpaid; some attract a daily fee, whilst others offer an annual
payment.
The Commissioner's Role
The role of the Commissioner is to set the standards for recruiting and to
regulate the recruitment process for appointments in public bodies. In
1995, the Nolan Committee made a series of recommendations intended to
increase public confidence in the way in which appointments to
"Quango" are
made. The principle recommendation was that an independent Commissioner
should be appointed. This Commissioner's role was to establish a Code
of Practice for ministerial appointments to public bodies, and monitor the
process to ensure those appointments are made on merit after fair and open
competition.
The office of Commissioner was created by an Order in Council on 23
November 1995.
