Public Appointments: Political Activities
The question
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27548 on Cabinet office: Public Appointments and with reference to the his Department's Non-Executive Board Member declaration of interests process, published on 28 November 2024, whether a required declaration of previous significant political activity under paragraph 9.2 of the Governance Code on Public Appointments in the last five years prior to taking up a public appointment is deemed to be a (a) declarable interest and (b) an interest which must be published under the Non-Executive Board Member declaration of interests regime; and for what period of time a declaration of pre-appointment political activity would be retained on the bi-annual NED declaration record.
Answered by Georgia Gould
With reference to the guidance on declarations of interests published on 28 November 2024, political activity is a declarable interest, and any current political activity declared by a Non-Executive Board Member will be published on the online register of interests. This is consistent with paragraphs 3.11 – 3.15 of the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies.
The Governance Code on Public Appointments is separate guidance and its scope is limited to the appointments process. Paragraph 9.2 applies to political activity of candidates which may be explored further by the Advisory Assessment Panel, and if successful will be made public as part of the appointments process. As this is a separate process to the management of Non-Executive Board Members’ interests outlined above, previous political activity is not retained on the departmental register of interests.
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