The Commissioner’s audit
Tuesday 9 June 2026
This new series of blogs from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments explains the process by which ministers make appointments to our most important institutions – and the Commissioner’s role in providing assurance that the best people are appointed to these roles.
The annual audit of departmental teams sits at the very heart of the regulatory role of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. It is the primary mechanism used to ensure that the hundreds of individuals appointed each year to lead our museums, regulators and health boards are chosen fairly and openly – strictly on the basis of merit.
The Commissioner’s authority to audit is not merely a matter of policy; it is rooted in law. The Public Appointments Order in Council provides the legal mandate for the Commissioner to investigate and report on the practices of government departments.
This legal footing ensures the Commissioner has the independence and the ‘teeth’ necessary to scrutinise how ministers and officials make their choices. While the Governance Code on Public Appointments sets out the rules that departments must follow, the audit is the mechanism that verifies whether those rules are being respected in practice.
This is not merely a ‘box-ticking’ exercise; it is about providing independent assurance to the public that the appointments process is neither rigged nor opaque.
The audit dives deep into departmental practices, asking probing questions on key topics, selected by the Commissioner according to themes across the relevant year. The topics vary, but they have in common a push for transparency across government.
The audit involves a deep dive into departmental practices, including a detailed review of appointment records, scrutiny of outreach strategies, and interviews with officials to ensure campaigns are genuinely open to all backgrounds. The public availability of the league tables, for instance, provides a simple, high-level mechanism for ensuring transparent accountability across government.
The results of the audit serve as a mirror for the government. It holds departmental teams to account. Importantly, though, the audit also allows the Commissioner to promote innovation in public appointments – showcasing new ideas and sharing best practices across government.
Ultimately, as ever, the goal is that public appointments remain a level playing field – protecting the principle that the best people should lead our public bodies, regardless of their background or political leanings.