Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120625 on Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committees: Public Appointments, which two members were appointed by a reserve list; and for what reason a reserve list was used.

Professor Stephanie Rickard and Craig Stephenson OBE were appointed to the Parliamentary and Political Service Committee, from the reserve list, in October 2024. Both had applied during the fair and open March 2024 campaign and were found appointable by the Advisory Assessment panel.

As per the Governance Code on Public Appointments (December 2016 version), where a vacancy occurs within 12 months of the conclusion of a previous appointments process, and the role and person specification for both posts are the same, departments may put forward appointable candidates from the reserve list from the first competition for appointment to the new vacancy.