Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason there was a delay in naming the Government's preferred candidate for the Chair of the Charity Commission; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that delay on public trust in the Charity Commission.

All candidates assessed as “appointable” by the Advisory Assessment Panel for the role of Chairman of the Charity Commission were given the opportunity to meet the Minister for Sport and Civil Society once interviews had been held. This is in compliance with section 3.1 of the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments, and contributed to the length of the appointment process.