Public Sector: Public Appointments

Mr. Drew
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether she plans to encourage Select Committees to hold pre-appointment hearings in respect of public sector appointments;

(2) whether she has plans to provide to Select Committees information on candidates short-listed for an appointment in respect of which they hold pre-appointment hearings.

Tessa Jowell
The Government have introduced pre-appointments hearings as part of a wider programme of work to strengthen the role of Parliament. Policy on pre-appointment hearings is set out in the White Paper “The Governance of Britain—Constitutional Renewal”. Copies are available from the Libraries of the House and online at:

www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm73/7342/7342_i.asp