The Institute for Government (IfG) says civil service reform is needed to dispel public perception of ‘cronism’ and to solve problems related to delays in the appointment process.
In the report civil service reformthe Institute has, among other recommendations, established a system to regulate all appointments by government ministers, limit ministerial decision-making, and exclude politically connected candidates from certain oversight roles. He said it needed to be reformed.
The UK government’s civil service system is used to recruit directors, chairs and a few key executives for over 300 public and statutory bodies, including the Public Housing Regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority and Ofcom.
According to IfG, the system is burdensome because of persistent public criticism of its perceived nepotism and because politicians don’t always trust a system that produces credible appointees. It’s taking
Article continues below…
In recent years, controversies surrounding appointments, such as the possible appointment of Paul Dacre as chairman of Ofcom, have been in the spotlight. IfG said the recruitment process was undermined by reports that the government favored his Dacre before the process had properly started. daily mailMr. Dacre ultimately decided not to reapply for the position.
To avoid future controversy, the report draws on politically-connected members of certain “constitutional roles,” such as the parliamentary and health services ombudsman, chairman of the Public Living Standards Committee, and chairman of the Judiciary Appointment Committee. Recommend reform to exclude certain candidates.
The appointment process itself is also too lengthy, the report suggests. “This leaves some roles in need of temporary cover. After a resident’s term expired, a temporary appointment was required to fill the role, usually due to failure or delay. appointed,” the report noted.
Last year, the incoming chairman of the charity committee took eight months to be elected, but had to step down immediately before taking office.
Problems also arise before the appointment process begins due to relatively low compensation for positions, unclear time commitments, and the perception that results are pre-prepared. These issues further deter high-quality applicants, the report added.
The IfG report made the following recommendations:
- regulate all ministerial appointments and publicly explain exceptions such as short-term unpaid roles
- limit ministerial decision-making to the beginning and end of the appointment process
- Appointments to positions to scrutinize the behavior of politicians are subject to veto power from the relevant House Select Committee
- Eliminate the ability of ministers to appoint candidates judged by the evaluation committee to be unappointable
- Collect and publish data about the causes of delays so that those responsible are held accountable.
- Appoint a Chief People Officer within the Cabinet Office to ensure the best candidates are identified.
The report is available here.
Adam Carey
