3 The appointment process
24. The Secretary of State wrote to the Chairman
of the Health Committee on 30 April about a pre-appointment hearing,
as follows:
"Following the Appointment Commission's report
to me after the conclusion of the recruitment exercise, I am pleased
to inform you that Baroness Young of Old Scone is the Government's
candidate for the Chair of the new Commission. In keeping with
the Government's commitment to increased scrutiny, I would now
like to invite your committee to hold a pre-appointment hearing
to take evidence from Baroness Young. Should you decide to hold
a hearing, my officials will provide the Committee with background
information about Baroness Young and our proposals for the new
Commission."[15]
25. The recruitment process, including the engagement
of recruitment consultants, short listing and interviewing, was
carried out by the Appointments Commission independently of the
Department of Health. We were informed that the process run by
the Appointments Commission was regulated by the Commissioner
for Public Appointments and had been conducted in accordance with
the Commissioner's code, involving an Independent Assessor at
all stages, including the shortlist and interview panel.[16]
26. Members of the shortlist and interview panel
were Anne Watts (Chair Appointments Commission), Chris Dearsley
(Independent Assessor), David Nicholson (NHS Chief Executive)
and Hugh Taylor (Permanent Secretary, Department of Health). The
panel recommended Barbara Young as the most suitable candidate
for appointment and this recommendation was endorsed by the Appointment
Commission's Health and Social Care Committee. Subsequently, the
Appointments Commission formally recommended Barbara Young to
the Secretary of State for Health, who will be responsible for
the appointment under the Health and Social Care Bill.[17]
27. The Committee decided to hold a pre-appointment
hearing on the 8 May. Although the letter from the Secretary of
State was sent to us on 30 April, we were fortunate
that the efficient Parliamentary Clerk at the Department of Health
had given us advance warning that a candidate was likely to be
selected towards the end of April.
28. In holding the pre-appointment hearing, we were
mindful of the Liaison Committee guidelines, namely that
The Chairman should ensure that Members are aware
that their questions must remain relevant to the professional
competence and personal independence of the candidate. Questions
eliciting background information about the candidate's past career
and about the selection process for the post are also normally
acceptable.
The candidate will need to be able to withstand parliamentary
and public scrutiny should they take up the post, and the purpose
of the session is to test this. Questioning may therefore be robust,
and it may cover some areas that might not be appropriate at interview,
such as party political allegiance. The Chairman should intervene,
however, if questions are irrelevant, unduly personal, or discriminatory.[18]
29. Immediately after the evidence session, in line
with the guidelines the Committee met in private to agree a report
to the House containing its views on the suitability of the candidate.
15 Appendix 1 Back
16
Memorandum by the Department of Health to be published with the
oral evidence in Volume II Back
17
Ibid Back
18
Liaison Committee, First Report of Session 2007-08, Pre-appointment
hearing by select committees, HC 384, p.9 Back
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