Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 26 April 2022 to Question 154232, for what reason the post of Chair of the Universal Credit Programme Board was not advertised for open public recruitment; and if she will make an assessment of the compliance of that advertising process with the Code of Guidance on Public Appointments.

The Universal Credit Programme Board is not listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council 2019 as a body subject to regulation by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, so the appointment of the Chair did not need to meet the requirements of the Governance Code for Public Appointments. The Department approached IPA (formally MPA) and reviewed CVs from previous recruitments for suitable candidates, from this a couple of candidates had been invited to apply for the post but did not do so.