Published 02 March 2012 | Standard notes SN04387
Authors:
Paul Bowers, Richard Kelly, Lucinda Maer
Topic:
Central government, House of Commons, Non-departmental public bodies, Parliament, Public administration
The Coalition Agreement, of May 2010, stated that, along with cutting the number and cost of quangos, the Government planned to increase scrutiny of public bodies. This would include strengthening the powers of Select Committees to scrutinise major public appointments.
Since June 2008 select committees have held pre-appointment hearings for a number of posts. The committees consider the candidate’s professional competence and personal independence, and make a report on the candidate’s suitability for the post. Under these arrangements committees are not able to veto an appointment. However, the Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed to the Treasury Select Committee having a power of veto over appointments to the Office for Budget Responsibility which was created in 2010. The hearings have been taking place on a pilot basis to allow the impact of the hearings on the number, balance and quality of applicants to be monitored.
Pre-appointment hearings were one of a number of reforms set out in the Governance of Britain Green Paper, published in July 2007. The Public Administration Select Committee published a short report on pre-appointment hearings in January 2008. They asserted that pre-appointment hearings should apply to major auditors, ombudsmen, regulators and inspectors, as well as to those responsible for the appointments system itself. A list of 60 appointments was agreed between the Government and Liaison Committee. The Liaison Committee also published guidelines for the operation of the pre-appointment hearings.
This note sets out the background to the pre-appointment hearings; considers the operation of the hearings to date; and outlines the findings of research commissioned by the Cabinet Office and the Liaison Committee on the impact of the pilot. It also briefly reviews the Liaison Committee’s proposals for reforming pre-appointment hearings in the light of that research.
For background information, international comparisons and a discussion of the issues raised by the introduction of pre-appointment hearings, see Library Research Paper 08/39 Parliamentary Involvement in Public Appointments.