The role of the Commissioner was created in 1995, in response to the first report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. Its remit was:
- to provide guidance for Government departments on procedures for making public appointments;
- to audit those procedures and report on them annually;
- to investigate complaints about appointment processes.
The main form of guidance is the Commissioner’s Code of Practice (239kb)
, which sets the standard by which appointments should be made and which is based on the seven principles of public appointments.
, which sets the standard by which appointments should be made and which is based on the seven principles of public appointments.The Commissioner is independent of government.
The following is a direct link to the Legislation setting out in detail the Commissioner's remit: