How should public appointments be reformed?
The public appointments system struggles to appoint candidates in a timely and efficient way. It has been dogged by controversy in recent years, from media speculation over the appointment of new chairs of Ofcom and the BBC to delays at the Charity Commission and the Competition and Markets Authority. Politicians, officials, candidates and the public have expressed frustration with the process. The Institute for Government\u2019s report, Reforming Public Appointments, proposes a package of reforms including clearer data on the causes of delays, fewer ministerial decision points, and an expansion of regulation to include more roles.\n\nOur panel explored what the purpose of the public appointments system is, how well it is working now and what reforms might be needed:\n\nLord Jonathan Evans, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and former Director General of the UK Security Service\nBaroness Simone Finn, Former Deputy Chief of Staff at Number 10\nSue Gray, Second Permanent Secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities\nSir Bernard Jenkin MP, Chair of the Liaison Committee and former Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee\nWilliam Shawcross CVO, Commissioner for Public Appointments\n\nThis event was chaired by Dr Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.