AQW 8064/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 04/03/2024
Answered On Date: 22/03/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the appointment of a Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Answer:

In May 2021 a public appointment competition was launched for the role of Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland (CPANI), although an appointment decision was not reached prior to the end of the last mandate.

In the absence of an Executive, CPANI was added to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022 list of specified offices to allow the appointment function to be exercised by the Secretary of State. However, this did not happen prior to the recent return of the Executive.

The appointing authority for CPANI has therefore now reverted to the First Minister and deputy First Minister acting jointly.

Given the passage of time, officials are currently in the process of exploring appropriate next steps.