Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 28 January (HL14077), whether they will publish the changes they plan to make to the hiring criteria for senior civil servants, as set out in the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister on 20 January.

Our approach to hiring for the Senior Civil Service (SCS) is changing to place greater value on frontline delivery, innovation, and private sector experience. Departments and agencies have authority to determine their practices and procedures for the recruitment of staff to the Civil Service, including the Senior Civil Service.

In accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, departments must provide all potential applicants with information about the nature and level of each role, criteria against which they will be assessed, and details of the selection process and the total remuneration available. However, there are no plans to publish internal-facing guidance to the public domain, as it constitutes HR-to-HR guidance designed for departments to integrate into their respective policies and processes.