Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued on the use of merit order when using a reserve list for the appointment of a (a) Cabinet Secretary and (b) Permanent Secretary.

The Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles set out rules on reserve list appointments (here, page 5). This applies to all appointments, and there is no separate guidance for appointment of a Cabinet Secretary or Permanent Secretaries.