Tony WrightTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what age limit is placed on appointments to public bodies in her Department; if this limit is mentioned in advertisements for such posts; and what the basis is for this limit. [158116]
§ Mr. StringerThe Government are committed to equality of opportunity and to increasing the diversity of 121W those appointed to public bodies. In general, no age limit is placed on appointments to public bodies for which the Prime Minister or I are responsible.
There is one exception. Candidates for appointment to the Civil Service Appeal Board must be either recently retired or about to retire from the Senior Civil Service or a recently retired (or about to retire) Civil Service Trade Union official. They are appointed for an initial period of three years with a possibility of re-appointment. This is explained in the advertisement. To ensure that board members are up to date with civil service/trade union practice and procedures, they are not allowed to serve beyond age 70. In practice, however, appointees normally complete their full period of office before reaching that age.
It should also be noted that although there is no age limit to appointments made to the Advisory Committee on Advertising, each appointee must be "currently employed" as a media or marketing professional.