Arm’s-length Bodies

Baroness Deech Excerpts

Thursday 1st May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes a very important point about the independence of these bodies. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority, for example, has been established outside government to ensure that people accessing the compensation have trust and faith in the service that they may not have in the Government. Independence is key and is one of our core criteria. The ongoing scrutiny is part of your Lordships’ day-to-day work, but there is also a responsibility on the sponsoring department to make sure that work is done effectively and delivers the objectives. I look forward to discussing this in more detail with the noble Lord.

[Baroness Deech (CB)]

My Lords, will the Government tell the House whether there is a deliberate policy of pausing the process for filling public appointments without any particular reason? I have seen in my own experience, having worked hard on a panel and considered CVs, that the process is halted without any good reason, leaving vacancies on important committees.

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

The noble Baroness raises an interesting point. It is not something that has been brought to my attention before, and I will speak to officials and come back to her. As far as I am aware, this Government want to make sure we have the right people in the right places to deliver what we need. If there has been a slight pause because of the change of Government, that may be one thing, but there is no official policy that I am aware of.