Cabinet Office Minister, Jeremy Quin, will be questioned over a lack of transparency on the activities, appointment and influence of non-executive directors in Government. MPs will also question the Government Lead Non-Executive, Michael Jary.
Meeting details
The Minister is expected to be questioned on the “increasing trend” of ministers appointing political allies as non-executives, as identified by the Committee of Standards in Public Life in 2021. MPs will also probe the Government’s priorities for, and implementation of, reforms to departmental governance structures.
Non-executives are appointed by Secretaries of State to sit on the boards of government departments and provide challenge on departmental performance and delivery, though previous sessions of the Committee’s inquiry have heard that there is significant variation in the scope and activities of postholders.
The Committee will likely ask questions around the 2021 Declaration on Government Reform, which reinforced the role of non-executive directors in departments. The then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster commissioned Lord Maude to carry out an independent review in July 2022 to consider the roles and accountabilities of non-executives. It was due to be published by the end of last year.