UNITED KINGDOM
The man nominated to Chair the United Kingdom Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) says he wants to introduce changes to the employment contracts of senior Public Servants.
Lord Pickles (pictured) told MPs sitting on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee that the move would be part of tougher rules on post-Government appointments.
The former Minister for Communities said he was more interested in the post-Government jobs of Public Servants than of politicians, and had particular fears about roles sought by officials in the wake of the UK’s exit from the European Union (Brexit).
ACOBA is tasked with vetting the acceptability of new jobs sought by former Ministers and senior Public Servants for two years from the day they leave Government.
Lord Pickles said it was clear to him that the nature of the Public Service had changed dramatically in the 28 years since he became an MP.
“I think that increasingly it is going to become the norm for Civil Servants to move in and out of the Civil Service; into voluntary organisations, Local Government, the private sector and come back and go out again,” Lord Pickles said.
“I don’t think that in the way we currently operate we really understand that and there are three areas that cause problems,” he said.
“First is regulation; second is procurement; and third is contract negotiations.”
He said it was important to reassure the public that people did not personally get financial remuneration on the basis of privileged information they had obtained.
“That needs to be addressed, particularly in a Brexit world, where there’s going to be an awful lot of people engaged in negotiations,” Lord Pickles said.
“There’s going to be an awful lot of new procurement,” he said.
“If we don’t get it right, it’s one of those things that will rot Government from the inside.”
London, 25 March 2020
