Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing measures to make the membership of Advisory Committee on Business Appointments more representative of society.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is an advisory non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Cabinet Office. It considers applications under the business appointment rules about new jobs for former ministers, senior civil servants and other Crown servants. Political and independent members are appointed for five year, non-renewable terms.

Political members are nominated on the recommendation of the leader of the relevant political party.

In accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments, the appointments of Independent Members to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments are made on merit following an open and fair competition.

As outlined in its 2019 Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan, the government remains committed to ensuring that public appointees are drawn from all aspects of the society that they serve and this includes those on the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.