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Public Appointments Commissioner Annual Report

‘More must be done to widen the pool of applicants’ – Janet Gaymer

“More work needs to be done to widen the pool of applicants for posts on public bodies in England.“

Public Appointments Commissioner, Janet Gaymer said today.

Publishing her annual report for 2006-7, Janet Gaymer said:

“There has been encouraging progress in some areas – appointments of candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds and those declaring a disability have both shown an increase but I am disappointed that there has been a further fall in the number of women appointed to the Boards of Public Bodies. I am also very conscious that the majority of those appointed to the Boards of our Public Bodies are aged over 46 and above.

“It is clear that more needs to be done to ensure that the Boards of these bodies which govern so much of our daily lives better reflect the population they serve.”

Mrs Gaymer continued:

“Last year I set up a working group to consider the issue of age in relation to public appointments. The results of the work carried out by that group are due to be made public in November and will then form a key plank of a new diversity strategy which I shall be putting in place. I want to look at how people are made aware of appointments and the barriers that stop them applying for and being appointed to these posts.

“The work of those appointed to public bodies contributes greatly to the life of our nation. This work is varied, often demanding but fulfilling. The need to ensure that the very best individuals are appointed to our public bodies has never been greater but these individuals need to be selected on merit from the widest possible pool of potential candidates. As Commissioner, I shall do all I can to ensure that this need is met.”

The OCPA annual report contains a range of statistics and information about appointments and re-appointments in 2006-7 to bodies within the Commissioner's remit. The report shows that:

• the percentage of appointees and reappointees who declared a disability has increased to 6.1 per cent. This figure has increased from 4.4 per cent in the previous year and is the fourth year showing a successive rise.
• 9.2 per cent were from an ethnic minority background – an increase from 8.6 per cent in 2005-6.
• the proportion of women appointed and reappointed has fallen from 36.6 per cent in 2005-06 to 36.2 per cent in 2006-07.
• there has been an increase in those declaring political activity from 13.3 per cent in 2005-06 to 15.8 per cent in 2006-07.

The OCPA annual report is available at http://www.ocpa.gov.uk [External website]

Notes to editors

1. Media enquiries about the work of OCPA should go to Maggie O'Boyle on 07880 740627
2. Copies of the annual report are available from http://www.ocpa.gov.uk[External website] or by calling 0207 276 2625.
3. Janet Gaymer CBE was appointed as the new Commissioner for Public Appointments in January 2006.
4. The Commissioner's role is to regulate, report and to promote equal opportunities in relation to public appointments processes within the Commissioner's remit.