The Role of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and her Independent Public Appointments Assessors

As the regulator of Ministerial appointments processes, the Commissioner for Public Appointments is assisted in her work by Independent Public Appointments Assessors.

The Principle of Independent Scrutiny

She requires that appointments processes should be made in accordance with her Code of Practice which sets our seven guiding principles. 

The Seven Code Principles

The Seven Principles underpin the Code of Practice and are the foundations of the public appointments process. The Seven Principles are as follows:-

• Ministerial Responsibility
• Merit
• Independent Scrutiny
• Equal opportunities
• Probity
• Openness and Transparency
• Proportionality

These Seven Principles are derived directly from recommendations made by the Committee on Standards in Public Life chaired by Lord Nolan in May 1995 and the so-called Nolan Principles.

One of these Principles, Independent Scrutiny requires that no appointment should take place without first being scrutinised by an independent panel or by a group including membership independent of the department filling the post. Those who perform this scrutiny are known as Independent Public Appointments Assessors (IPAAs). They act throughout the appointments process as guardians of the Seven Principles in the Commissioner’s Code of Practice.

The Role of the IPAA:

The role of Independent Public Appointments Assessors is to:-

• assist the Commissioner for Public Appointments, Ministers, other appointing authorities and departments in the task of making effective public appointments which command public confidence;
• provide an assurance that the appointments process has conformed to the Principles and practices set out in the Commissioners Code of Practice; and in particular,
• ensure that appointments have been made on merit after a fair, open and transparent process.

The role of the Commissioner

The Commissioner's aim is to ensure that public appointments within her remit are made on merit after a fair, open and transparent process.

She is supported in her work by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments ("OCPA").

The Commissioner for Public Appointments in England and Wales is:-

• appointed by the Crown;
• independent of government; and
• is not a civil servant.