18 January 2008
The Commons public administration select committee has backed moves for public appointees to be vetted by MPs before their appointments are confirmed.
The proposal — mirroring Senate confirmation hearings in the United States — was made in the government's green paper on governance last summer.
In a report published on January 16, the PASC said it would expect hearings to apply to major auditors (such as the new head of the National Audit Office), ombudsmen, regulators and inspectors, and to those responsible for the appointments process itself.
PASC chair Tony Wright said: 'For a number of key public appointments, it seems to us right that the final ministerial decision on whom to appoint is informed by public scrutiny.
'If used sensibly, this new role for Parliament can strengthen public confidence in key appointments.'
The MPs, however, rejected suggestions that post-confirmation hearings should be held before the appointee had started work for 'market-sensitive' posts such as governor of the Bank of England.
They argued that it was 'not clear what the value would be of a hearing which was able neither to influence the appointment nor to allow an office-holder to account for their performance'. It suggests the possibility of private pre-appointment hearings for such posts.
PFjan2008
