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Public Appointments: Secondment

Asked by Mike WoodConservativeCabinet OfficeTabled Answered 8 July 2026UIN 14352

The question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what requirements do departments have to list on the Direct Ministerial Appointments portal when a Direct Ministerial Appointment has been seconded by an external organisation, and what steps are taken to avoid conflicts of interest with the seconded organisation.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

The published Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments sets out rigorous processes for identifying and managing potential conflicts of interest of prospective appointees. Direct Ministerial Appointments are bound by the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies, which requires appointees to comply with the rules of the appointing body on handling conflicts of interests, which typically require the public declaration of potential conflicts, usually in the body’s register of interests. The detailed guidance for doing so is published on Gov.uk.

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