Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s annual report 2024-25, published December 2025, Appendix: direct appointments, what the business case was for appointing a non-executive director for three years without open and fair competition; and if he will publish relevant correspondence to and from the Public Appointments Commissioner.

The rationale for appointing without competition was made public at the time of announcement, following consultation with the Commissioner. A fair and open competition was undertaken with a strong applicant field. However, it needed to be strengthened further by the appointment of Nita Clarke, who is bringing vital skills in employee engagement, partnership and employee voices in the workplace drawn from a distinguished career including as Vice President for Employee Relations at the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.