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Regulating Appointments

The role of the Commissioner is to provide independent assurance that appointments by Ministers to the boards of public bodies are made in accordance with the Government’s Principles of Public Appointments and Governance Code.

Public bodies take decisions on a daily basis which affect every aspect of our lives: the price of gas and electricity, the quality of our hospitals and schools, standards and ethics in public life; the quality and availability of sports, arts and culture. It is in all our interests, as citizens, that those appointed to serve on public bodies are skilled, experienced and understand the public they serve. They should be recruited from a diverse range of backgrounds.

In March 2015 the Government commissioned a review of the way appointments are made to public bodies and published a response to the review’s recommendations in April 2016. Following consultation with my office, the Cabinet Office published the Government’s Governance Code in December 2016.  This came into effect in January 2017 and replaces the previous OCPA Code of Practice.

This website provides further information on the role of Commissioner including annual reports, management information and advice on how to make a complaint about a public appointment.

If you are interested in applying for a public appointment, see the current vacancies are advertised on the Cabinet Office and Welsh Government Public Appointments pages.