Public appointments must be accessible to all

Mark Isherwood MS

The importance of public appointments cannot be overstated. They play a vital role in overseeing the delivery and governance of key public services, such as health, culture, sport, heritage, and transport.

It is essential that these roles are filled by individuals who reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t the case in Wales.

The report we are publishing today, as the Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, exposes a series of problems in the Welsh Government’s approach to sourcing and securing the widest breadth of quality and diverse candidates for public sector appointments.

Instead, what we’re seeing are candidates from the same pool of people, usually clustered around Cardiff, due to a system that is accused of being closed and inaccessible, only navigable by ‘those in the know’.

It is imperative that these issues are addressed to ensure that public appointments in Wales are fair, transparent, and inclusive.

Failed strategy

One of the most glaring issues we uncovered is the Welsh Government’s failure to recruit a diverse range of candidates for public appointments. Despite the publication of the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for Public Appointments in 2020, which was flagged as a ministerial priority, many of its objectives and key actions remain undelivered.

The strategy expired in 2023, and there has been no evaluation, consultation, action, or even a plan to replace it. This lack of progress is unacceptable and highlights deeper problems within the machinery of the Welsh Government.

The Public Bodies Unit (PBU), which is tasked with overseeing public appointments, has been particularly underperforming. Its role and purpose remain confusing and unclear, with evidence suggesting that many public appointees or those seeking public appointments were unaware of its existence.

This lack of visibility and engagement is a significant barrier to attracting a diverse pool of candidates. To address these issues, our report makes several key recommendations. Firstly, we recommend that the Welsh Government urgently develop a dedicated, standalone Public Appointments strategy and action plan covering diversity and inclusion in its broadest sense, including language and geographic location.

It is not acceptable to subsume this into the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, especially given that so many fundamental aspects of the 2020-23 strategy are yet to be delivered. We believe that it is not the content of the strategy that is a problem, but rather the lack of delivery of its commitments.

Visible

Furthermore, we recommend that the Welsh Government rebrand and relaunch the Public Bodies Unit, setting out clearly its role and purpose and ensuring it is fully visible and interacts with the public.

This should include more public-facing information about its role and remit, available to all candidates on the Welsh Government’s website. Increasing the visibility of the PBU is crucial to building stronger networks and links with other relevant Welsh Government departments and ensuring better support for candidates.

We have serious concerns about the application process for public appointments and heard
from multiple witnesses that the process itself presents barriers to underrepresented groups.

People referred to the ‘art’ of applying for a public appointment and how trying to match the criteria of the role specification in a specific way is preventing a diversity of candidates. It is too rigid, and the process needs to give more emphasis to ‘lived experience’ and focus on talent and diversity so that different skills can be brought forward.

People also told us that the Public Bodies Unit was not aware of what reasonable adjustments could be offered to candidates who need them. There appears to be a lack of proactivity, and we are concerned that the onus is too often placed on candidates to make suggestions and find solutions themselves.

Risk

The worry is that some candidates may not be confident in making these suggestions or even know that they can, which risks them either not applying for roles or being unfairly disadvantaged during the recruitment process.

Our inquiry also highlighted the need for developing pipelines of talent by offering mentoring or apprenticeship programs to underrepresented groups. Many witnesses talked about the importance of these programmes in encouraging people from underrepresented groups to apply for public appointments.

However, for mentoring and apprenticeships to work, other barriers to the application processes need to be addressed. This includes making the application process more accessible and providing better support for candidates.

We recommend that the Welsh Government’s Public Bodies Unit undertake work to improve its awareness of what constitutes a reasonable adjustment and take a proactive approach in providing applicants with multiple options in terms of the adjustments they require. This is essential to ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to apply for public appointments.

In addition to these recommendations, we also call for the creation of a dedicated Public Appointments Commissioner for Wales. The current oversight by the Public Appointments Commissioner for England and Wales has not been effective in improving the system.

Shortcomings

A dedicated Commissioner for Wales would ensure a lasting commitment to improving the
quality of appointments and address the current shortcomings. We acknowledge the capacity and funding constraints facing the public sector, and this role could be combined with an existing Commissioner’s role, to be as cost-effective as possible.

We encourage the Welsh Government to consider this as a long-term investment in the country’s future which would bring much-needed change.

The Welsh Government must take urgent action to address the failings in its handling of public appointments. By implementing the recommendations outlined in our report, we can create a fairer, more transparent, and inclusive system that reflects the diversity of our communities. It is time for the Welsh Government to demonstrate its commitment to diversity and inclusion and ensure that public appointments are accessible to all.

Mark Isherwood is the Chair of the Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee.