Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage public bodies, including the BBC, to recruit and promote individuals based on merit alone, and to move away from any affirmative action policies that may be in use.

All public appointments to the boards of public bodies are made on merit and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the Rt Hon Peter Riddell. The boards of non-departmental public bodies should ensure that the body’s rules for recruitment and management of staff provide for appointment and advancement on merit. These requirements also apply to the BBC.