How should public appointments be reformed?

The public appointments system struggles to appoint candidates in a timely and efficient way. It has been dogged by controversy in recent years, from media speculation over the appointment of new chairs of Ofcom and the BBC to delays at the Charity Commission and the Competition and Markets Authority. Politicians, officials, candidates and the public have expressed frustration with the process. The Institute for Government’s report, Reforming Public Appointments, proposes a package of reforms including clearer data on the causes of delays, fewer ministerial decision points, and an expansion of regulation to include more roles.

Our panel explored what the purpose of the public appointments system is, how well it is working now and what reforms might be needed:

• Lord Jonathan Evans, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and former Director General of the UK Security Service
• Baroness Simone Finn, Former Deputy Chief of Staff at Number 10
• Sue Gray, Second Permanent Secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, Chair of the Liaison Committee and former Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
• William Shawcross CVO, Commissioner for Public Appointments

This event was chaired by Dr Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. 

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