Ministers to delegate some public appointments in attempt to cut delays

"Ministers are planning to speed up public appointments to bodies such as Ofcom, the Environment Agency and BBC by allowing more of the hiring process to be delegated to senior officials. In the biggest shake-up of the public appointments process in a decade, the Cabinet Office is producing new guidance governing how candidates can be picked for about 4,000 public roles."

"Under the new rules, ministers will be able to choose to delegate much more of the process to officials, while retaining the final say over who is chosen and the job specification. Others changes include allowing candidates to remain on a reserve list for two years rather than 12 months, ensuring that they can be considered and hired quickly if an appointment falls through without having to run an entirely new hiring campaign."

"As part of a new transparency drive, the Cabinet Office is also publishing a full list of all public appointments that are made by the prime minister or by the crown on his recommendation, or those in which he has a strong interest. The list has never been formally published before. It shows prime ministerial appointments include the board of the BBC, museums including the Tate and the British Museum, various ethics watchdogs, the information commissioner and the governor of the Bank of England."

Cabinet Office guidance will change how roughly 4,000 public roles are filled to address excessive delays and extended vacancies. Ministers currently are consulted at every step, producing only about one in seven appointments completed within three months. Under the new rules ministers can delegate much of the process to senior officials while keeping final approval and control of job specifications. Candidates can now remain on a reserve list for two years rather than 12 months to enable quicker hiring if appointments fall through. A new public service principle emphasizes recruiting exceptional people across the UK and a full list of prime ministerial appointments will be published for transparency.

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