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IFG - Prime Minister to be given choice of appointable candidates in head of department competitions
The Civil Service Commission has announced that, for Head of Department appointments, the Prime Minister will be given a choice of candidates assessed as appointable by an independent panel chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner.
In making this announcement the Commission acknowledged that there was wide consensus for the change – including from the three largest political parties in Parliament and other non-political bodies such as the Institute for Government.
Peter Riddell, Director of the Institute for Government said:
'We welcome the thrust of the changes and, in particular, the safeguards to protect the principle of non-political civil service. As our report Accountabilty at the Top said: "So long as there is a rigorous merit-based assessment preceding the exercise of ministerial choice and appointed candidates are bound by the existing civil service code and values, then there would not be an increased risk of politicisation, but a system that is more accountable and more closely reflects the reality."
'We are therefore pleased that this long-running source of tension and debate between the Civil Service and Ministers has been resolved. Of course it is the Secretary of State who will work more closely with the head of the department and will no doubt need to provide their advice to the Prime Minister too.'
