Our role
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, 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.
One of the Commissioner’s principles is that of independent scrutiny. Every appointment competition regulated by her must include an independent assessor, who ensures that the process is carried out in accordance with the Code. These Assessors are recruited, trained and administered by OCPA NI. The Office allocates an Assessor to each competition; they sit as a full member of the selection panel, advise on correct procedures and act as the Commissioner’s “eyes and ears”, reporting to her, if necessary.
The central pool consists of 40 OCPA NI Assessors.