§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she plans to take to enforce the Cabinet Office Guidance on Codes of Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies. [9023]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 19 October 2001]: The latest edition of the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies was published in July 2001 and immediately circulated to all teams sponsoring non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) in my Department. It is mandatory for Government Departments to abide by this Code when making public appointments. The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) strictly monitors the observance of the Code.
Also in July 2001, the Cabinet Office issued a best practice guide for Departments, entitled "Making Public Appointments". This provides practical and helpful advice on the process of making public appointments. It supplements the OCPA Code and the Cabinet Office's own policy requirements, but does not create rules. It has been sent to all our NDPB sponsor teams.