Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland
In 1995 the Committee on Standards in Public Life (then known as the Nolan Committee) made a series of recommendations intended to increase public confidence in the way in which appointments to public bodies are made. These recommendations led to the appointment of an independent Commissioner for Public Appointments responsible for:
- establishing a Code of Practice for Ministerial appointments to public bodies;
- monitoring appointments to ensure that they are made on merit after fair and open competition.
The Commissioner's responsibilities cover appointments to Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), Advisory NDPBs and public corporations and National Health Service bodies.
As part of the Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc (Scotland) Act, a separate Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland was established. Karen Carlton was selected by a parliamentary selection panel for nomination to HM The Queen. The new Commissioner officially took up post on 1 June 2004.
The new Commissioner monitors appointments through:
- Independent scrutiny during the selection process. No appointment can be made unless it has first been scrutinised by an OCPAS Assessor.
- Annual audit. Each year independent auditors visit a number of government departments and audit a sample of appointments. The audit round is arranged so that every department is visited at least once every three years.
- The investigation of complaints. Complaints can help to identify weaknesses in the appointments process, enabling prompt remedial action to be taken.
The current Commissioner in Scotland is Karen Carlton. She can be contacted at:
Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland
9-10 St Andrew's Square,
Edinburgh,
Scotland,
EH2 2AF