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The two proposals for the Cabinet office, outlined in The Governance of Britain, and published for further consultation and debate [External website] in the July 2007 green paper were:

• legislation for the Civil Service; and
• increased Parliamentary scrutiny of key public appointments

The Propriety and Ethics Team at the Cabinet Office developed proposals for Civil Service legislation which will embed the core values of impartiality, objectivity, honesty and integrity within statutory law.

The team consulted key stakeholders such as the Civil Service Commissioners and the Civil Service trade unions throughout the process, and also had the benefit of a full public consultation on the prospect of Civil Service legislation. Lisa Harlow, a member of the team, says:

“The work involved going back to the first principles of the Civil Service – its role, governance and values – and understanding the full scope of the draft legislation such as the management of the Civil Service, the role of the Civil Service Commissioners and how these would sit with wider proposals in the draft Constitutional Renewal Bill.”

Others in the team, such as Rob Wall, have been looking at how the Government will strengthen the role of Parliament in the public appointments process. This will involve candidates for key public appointments appearing before Parliamentary select committees [External website] before being appointed. It's been a major piece of work for the Propriety and Ethics team, involving partnership working with other government departments, the Commissioner for Public Appointments [External website] and Parliament [External website], to establish a process and to agree a list of suitable appointments.

“The Government is committed to strengthening the role of Parliament in certain key public appointments and increasing democratic scrutiny of the public appointments process,”

says Rob Wall.

“Looking at how the Government will deliver this commitment has been a major focus for the Propriety and Ethics team. We've worked in partnership with other government departments, the Commissioner for Public Appointments and Parliament to establish policy and draw up a list of suitable key appointments.”

Rob says: “This is a new and innovative approach in making public appointments. The aim is to increase scrutiny of the public appointments process and provide greater public reassurance that those appointed to key public offices are appointed on merit.”