Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland
Encyclopedia
The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland (OCPAS) regulates and monitors the way in which ministerial appointments are made to the boards of public bodies
in Scotland
. The Office was founded in 2004, and is headed by the Commissioner, currently Karen Carlton.
Appointments to these bodies are made by Scottish Ministers, who rely on a team of people to identify and recommend to them suitable candidates for appointment. The process is administered by the Scottish Executive
and closely monitored by representatives of the Commissioner. These representatives are called OCPAS Assessors. An OCPAS Assessor is actively involved at each stage of every appointment regulated by OCPAS; they act as a member of the team that recommends suitable candidates for appointment. The process followed by the team is open and transparent. It ensures that only people with appropriate skills, knowledge and personal qualities are recommended to Ministers. All vacancies are publicised and people who wish to be considered must submit an application and be assessed against the skills, knowledge and personal qualities required for the role. Every application is handled in the same way, to ensure equality of opportunity and treatment.
OCPAS has published a Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland which sets out the principles and practices the Commissioner expects the Scottish Executive to adopt.
The Commissioner is responsible for reporting breaches of the Code of Practice to the Scottish Ministers. The Commissioner also has the power to direct the Scottish Ministers to delay making appointments where the Code of Practice has been breached, and refer the matter to the Scottish Parliament
.
Scottish public bodies
Public bodies of the Scottish Government are organisations that are funded by the Scottish Government. It includes executive and advisory non-departmental public bodies ; tribunals; and nationalised industries....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The Office was founded in 2004, and is headed by the Commissioner, currently Karen Carlton.
History
OCPAS was created by the Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc (Scotland) Act 2003.Role
The Role of OCPAS is to regulate the process by which people are appointed to the boards of many of the public bodies operating in Scotland such as the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.Appointments to these bodies are made by Scottish Ministers, who rely on a team of people to identify and recommend to them suitable candidates for appointment. The process is administered by the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
and closely monitored by representatives of the Commissioner. These representatives are called OCPAS Assessors. An OCPAS Assessor is actively involved at each stage of every appointment regulated by OCPAS; they act as a member of the team that recommends suitable candidates for appointment. The process followed by the team is open and transparent. It ensures that only people with appropriate skills, knowledge and personal qualities are recommended to Ministers. All vacancies are publicised and people who wish to be considered must submit an application and be assessed against the skills, knowledge and personal qualities required for the role. Every application is handled in the same way, to ensure equality of opportunity and treatment.
OCPAS has published a Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland which sets out the principles and practices the Commissioner expects the Scottish Executive to adopt.
The Commissioner is responsible for reporting breaches of the Code of Practice to the Scottish Ministers. The Commissioner also has the power to direct the Scottish Ministers to delay making appointments where the Code of Practice has been breached, and refer the matter to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
.