Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether all public appointments by Ministers since the election have gone through open appointment processes; and whether any rules on advertising appointments have been circumvented.

The Governance Code on Public Appointments sets out the process and principles that underpin all public appointments made to bodies listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council. It sets out that, in exceptional cases, Ministers may decide to appoint a candidate without a competition, although they must make this decision public and must consult the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Ministers across government departments are responsible for ensuring that their appointments are made in accordance with the Governance Code or the appropriate framework.