A ‘fundamental reform’ in public appointments has been announced, which will streamline the process and open up the posts to a wider field.
The changes, being introduced from next April, will cut back some of the detailed processes and rules for these ministerially appointed posts. This has shrunk the guidance from public appointments commissioner Sir David Normington by more than 100 pages.Normington, who was tasked with drawing up the changes when he took up the post in April, said the new ‘more proportionate’ regime would focus on ‘the principles of merit, fairness and openness in public appointments’.
Reforms include reducing the need for independent assessors to be involved in all public appointments. This will now be required only where the commissioner judges there to be ‘a risk of non-compliant practices or where greater public assurance is needed’.
Bodies covered by the rules include executive non-departmental public bodies, such as the Environment Agency, Ofsted, strategic health authorities and NHS trusts.
Announcing what MPs have called a ‘lighter touch' regime, Normington said: ‘In simple terms, I want to see a single-minded focus from ministers and government departments on getting the very best people into public roles, appointed from strong and diverse fields of candidates, free of political patronage and cronyism.’
The former permanent secretary at both the Department for Education and Skills and the Home Office said the ‘original justification’ for the current degree of prescription had diminished.
‘There have been growing criticisms – from those involved in appointments, from candidates and from some independent assessors – that the system is now complex, bureaucratic and costly.’
A ‘cleaner and simpler’ appointments system for the average of 800 new appointments expected to be made by ministers every year will address ‘a perception that the focus is now more on getting the process right than getting the right outcome’, Normington said.
‘The new regulatory system will require a significant change in approach. I recognise that this will present some challenges and I will be working closely with all departments to help them prepare for the new system,’ he added.
The announcement follows a Commons public administration select committee report last month that welcomed the ‘broad thrust’ of the changes.
