Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the maximum amount of time an individual can remain on a Reserve List for a Senior Civil Service job without having to re-apply with full open and fair competition.

As per the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles, where a competition identifies more appointable candidates than there are available vacancies, a reserve list may be created. This can be used for up to 12 months to fill the same role or other similar roles with closely matching essential criteria. With approval from the Commission, a reserve list can be extended by up to eight weeks.