Public Appointments and Public Bodies

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DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 1

Public appointments and public bodies

April 2007 DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 2

Our aim is to improve the quality of life for all through cultural and sporting activities, support the pursuit of excellence, and champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 3

Public appointments and public bodies 3 Contents

Foreword by Jonathan Stephens, Permanent Secretary DCMS 4

PUBLIC BODIES 6 What is a public body? 6 Public service values 7 Roles and responsibilities 8 DCMS’s aim, objectives and targets 10 Conclusion 12

DCMS FAMILY 13 Sponsored bodies map 14 DCMS public bodies 16

PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS 27 How are appointments made? 27 How many appointments are made? 27 What is involved? 27 Are appointees paid? 27 Qualities required 28 Equal opportunities 28 Commissioner for Public Appointments 29

Further information 30 DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 4

4 Foreword

Thank you for your interest in serving as a Board member on one of the public bodies sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. These are valuable, interesting and responsible roles – I am sure that if appointed you will find it a rewarding experience. This guide will help you navigate your way around the appointments system and understand how DCMS works with its public bodies. It summarises the respective roles of the Department and public bodies; the responsibilities of public bodies and their Boards; and the Department’s aim and objectives. The Secretary of State is committed to maximising the public value delivered by DCMS and the bodies it funds. One element of this is ensuring that our public bodies feel part of the communities they serve, are increasingly responsive to the citizen in general, and engage more proactively with a wider range of citizens, particularly those who are under-represented among participants in our sectors. Bodies will need to develop plans for engaging with citizens and ensuring that their views are fully reflected in decisions about programmes and services. The Secretary of State and I look forward to considering with our sponsored bodies what more we can do to tap into a rich spectrum of perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in each of our sectors. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 5

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DCMS seeks to appoint Board members who combine with their focus on public value the ability to provide the strong governance that ensures strategic leadership, and supervise and challenge the executive. I also strongly encourage our Board members to contribute to the work the Department has launched on the back of our 2007 Capability Review to improve how we work with our public bodies, and to ensure that our approach is efficient, integrated and strategic. I hope you find this booklet useful and I look forward to welcoming you to the DCMS family.

Jonathan Stephens Permanent Secretary Department for Culture, Media and Sport DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 6

6 Public bodies

WHAT IS A PUBLIC BODY? A public body is an organisation which has a role in the processes of national government but is not a part of any government department. It is, however, largely funded by a sponsor department (or by a share of proceeds from the National Lottery) and its Board is normally appointed by the Secretary of State of the sponsor department. A public body operates at arm’s length from government and carries out work on its behalf, particularly in areas where the expertise and understanding of people outside government is needed or desirable. The main categories of body are as follows: • Executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which carry out operational and regulatory functions, for example: Sport England, English Heritage and National Lottery Commission • Advisory NDPBs which advise the Government on specific issues, such as the Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites and the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art. • Public Corporations, which are usually self-financing and are more autonomous than NDPBs, for example the BBC and S4C. The relationship between department and public body is a balance between independence and accountability. On the one hand, public bodies perform functions best carried out at a certain distance from the centre of government. For example, some are regulators, and must be seen to be independent of political interests. Others need specialised expertise not found in general public administration. On the other hand, public bodies spend public money, from the Exchequer or the National Lottery good causes, and are therefore accountable to citizens, Ministers and Parliament. That framework is encapsulated in the following key documents, which apply to most bodies: DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 7

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• Public Service Agreement (PSA): in a White Paper published every two years, the PSA sets out our aim and objectives, which should encompass the work of all our public bodies, and our key targets; • Funding agreement: supports the PSA by explaining what each body will deliver for the public funding allocated to it, and why; the agreement, signed every two years by the Chair of the body and the Secretary of State, summarises strategy, key activities, and outputs to be delivered; • Management statement and financial memorandum: sets out the rules and guidelines that a public body should observe in carrying out its functions; reviewed roughly every five years, but the content remains fairly constant; • for National Lottery distributing bodies, policy and financial directions, and a statement of financial requirements: setting out rules on the treatment of Lottery proceeds, particularly where this differs from the treatment of Exchequer funds.

PUBLIC SERVICE VALUES As providers of public services, public bodies must • provide best value for money – ensuring services are delivered in the most effective, efficient and economical way; • maintain the highest standards in the stewardship of public funds – demonstrating impartiality, integrity and objectivity; • demonstrate openness and responsiveness in the way they operate and in their communications with the public; and • adhere to standards in public life set out in the seven Nolan principles. Of course the private sector has similar values, but in the public sector there is greater external scrutiny and greater expectation that at all times public bodies will observe, and be seen to be observing, these values. For example, even the perception of, or potential for, a conflict of interest can be almost as damaging as an actual conflict of interest. So it is important that Boards should be able to DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 8

demonstrate that they are using resources effectively and properly, and that public funds are not being used for private or partisan purposes.

Roles and responsibilities Secretary of State/Sponsor Department • setting the policy framework within which the body operates, and the high- level objectives and targets it delivers • determining the amount of grant in aid to be allocated to the body and, where appropriate, its share of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery • monitoring, and accounting to Parliament for, the body’s performance and stewardship of public money • (for officials) liaising with bodies on behalf of Ministers and advising Ministers on matters to do with sponsored bodies The Board of the Public Body • providing overall leadership and developing strategy, within the policy framework and expenditure limits set by the sponsor department • ensuring that high standards of corporate governance are maintained: that the organisation has effective control systems, decision-making processes and management, so that public resources are safeguarded, in particular from fraud and theft, and used to best effect. A crucial part of this is management and monitoring of risk • being responsible for carrying out the body’s statutory functions; for example, in the case of national museums and galleries, the long-term stewardship of collections and historic buildings • complementing the executive, not only by providing support and advice, but also by taking an independent view and challenging the status quo DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 9

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It is for each Board to decide exactly how it will operate. However observation of effective Boards suggests the following good practice: • the Board operates very much as a single corporate unit, but with all members making a full contribution; the Chair and DCMS seek to ensure the right skill mix to make this possible, and the body provides a structured training/development programme for members • Board meetings focus on important and strategic matters, with other matters for which the Board is responsible delegated to appropriate committees of officers (but the Boards of some DCMS bodies have to deal regularly with detailed case work) • the Board has special in-depth sessions on key issues, such as future strategy, which it is hard to get to grips with in regular meetings • individual members are given specific roles, eg chairing sub-committees, that make full use of their specific expertise

The Chief Executive • working with the Chair to develop strategy proposals to present to the Board, and then advising the Board on implementation • acting as the body’s Accounting Officer: being personally responsible for the proper handling and use of the public funds at the body’s disposal; and contributing to the Department’s accounting to Parliament for these matters • overseeing and being responsible for day-to-day management and operations, including risk management and monitoring • advising the Board on the discharge of its responsibilities (as set out in founding legislation, management statement/financial memorandum, funding agreement, etc) DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 10

DCMS’s aim, objectives and targets We engage with our public bodies mainly at the strategic level, in terms of what each body can contribute to delivery of the PSA and other strategic priorities. We do not seek to intervene in the detail of how each organisation runs its business. Our aims, objectives and targets, as set out in the Public Service Agreement for the 2005-08 period, are as follows: Aim To improve the quality of life for all through cultural and sporting activities, support the pursuit of excellence, and champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries Objective 1 • To further enhance access to culture and sport for children and young people and give them the opportunity to develop their talents to the full and enjoy the benefits of participation Targets To enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities by 5-16 year olds so that the percentage of school children in England who spend a minimum number of 2 hours each week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum increases from 25% in 2002 to 75% by 2006 and to 85% by 2008, and to at least 75% in each School Sport Partnership by 2008 To halt the year-on-year increase in obesity among children under 11 by 2010, in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole Objective 2 • To increase and broaden the impact of culture and sport, to enrich individual lives, strengthen communities and improve the places where people live, now and for future generations DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 11

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Target By 2008, to increase the take-up of cultural and sporting opportunities by people aged 16 and above from priority groups Objective 3 • To maximise the contribution which the tourism, creative and leisure industries can make to the economy Target To improve the productivity of the tourism, creative and leisure industries Objective 4 • To modernise delivery by ensuring that our sponsored bodies are efficient and work with others to meet the needs of individuals and communities Efficiency Target To achieve at least 2.5% efficiency savings on our Departmental Expenditure Limit in each year of the 2005/08 period The new PSA, covering the 2008/11 period, is published in the white paper following the Comprehensive Spending Review, details on www.hm- treasury.gov.uk. We do not expect any of our varied public bodies to have exactly the same aim and objectives as us. But the aim and objectives set the context within which public bodies operate. Each sponsored body’s plan should reflect that context in a way that is appropriate to its role. Where public bodies distribute Lottery funds, there is a slightly different relationship. Statutory directions from the Secretary of State set out what the body must take into account. The distributor prepares its own strategy, which has to be submitted to, but not necessarily approved by, the Secretary of State. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 12

Our sponsored bodies fall into various categories: from bodies which set strategies for a whole sector, eg Sport England, to bodies which carry out one specific function, eg the National Gallery. Some belong in two or more categories. The diagram on pages 14 and 15 illustrates this in a simplified form. The degree of overlap between DCMS and public body objectives, and the extent of DCMS engagement with bodies’ planning processes, tends to increase towards the centre of the diagram. And wherever a body appears in the diagram, the Department will tend to become more involved with some programmes than others. A high-profile pilot initiative, for example, will obviously attract more scrutiny than a long-standing tried-and-tested service.

Conclusion To deliver the best services to the maximum number of citizens, we and our sponsored bodies need to be part of a network involving government (central, regional and local), the private sector and the voluntary sector, in order to pool knowledge and resources, and ensure that delivery is joined up. Board members have a vital role to play, by assessing how your particular organisation can fit most effectively within the wider delivery network, and developing plans to bring that about. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 13

Public appointments and public bodies 13 DCMS family

DCMS covers a wide range of interests – from museums to gambling, and from broadcasting to the historic environment – all of which contribute to people’s quality of life. These services are delivered by local authorities, the voluntary sector and a DCMS “family” of public bodies – over 95% of our expenditure is channelled through 40 bodies. The following diagram (overleaf) sets out the relative roles of DCMS sponsored bodies. An organisation chart showing the internal structure of DCMS is updated regularly and can be found online at www.culture.gov.uk/about_us/our_structure DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 14

SPONSORED BODIES MAP

Wallace BBC Collection Victoria & Albert Museum

Tyne & Wear Museums Big Lotter Fund Tate Olympic Lottery Distributor

Export o Sir John Works of A Soane's Museum England Marketing

OFCOM* Arts Council S4C VisitBritain England Treasure Valuation UK Sport DCMS

UK Film Council Sport Regiona Royal Armouries England Cultural Consorti National Spoliation Lottery Commission

Public Public Lending Right Lending Right

Key National Natural History Heritage Strategic/sectoral bodies Museum Memorial Fund Nationa Endowme for Scienc Advisory Committees Technolog National and Arts (not executive bodies) Portrait Gallery National Funders and regulators Museum of Science & National Industry Museums Nationa Front-line/direct delivery bodies Liverpool Maritim Museum * responsibility is shared with DTI Bodies in Italics are lottery distributors NB: Some bodies belong in several circles, eg English Heritage is also a funder/regulator and delivers services/directly to the public. But this simplified version is intended to give the general picture. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 15

Public appointments and public bodies 15

BBC British Museum

British Library

Channel 4

ig Lottery Fund Football Churches Licensing Conservation Trust Authority

Export of orks of Art Geffrye Government Museum Art Collection Gambling Commission Commission for Architecture and Built Design Historic Royal Environment Council* Palaces Historic Wreck Sites English DCMS Heritage

Museums, Libraries & Olympic Archives Horniman Regional Delivery Council Museum Cultural Authority Consortia Libraries Horserace Betting Levy Appeal Tribunal

National Horserace Historic Ships Totalisator Board (Tote)

Horserace Betting National Levy Board Imperial War dowment Museum r Science, echnology and Arts Museum of London Museum of Science & Industry in National National Manchester Maritime Gallery Museum DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 16

DCMS PUBLIC BODIES Below, and on the following pages, we have listed the public bodies sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites (www.english-heritage.org.uk) The Committee advises the Government on the designating of sites of historic and archaeological importance in UK waters under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, and on other issues affecting underwater archaeology.

Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships (www.nhsc.org.uk) The Committee advises the Government on historic ships and raises public awareness of their significant contribution to our cultural and maritime heritage.

Advisory Committee on the Government Art Collection (www.gac.culture.gov.uk) The Committee advises the Secretary of State, through the Director, on acquisitions policy, purchases for the Collection and commissioning of artists.

Advisory Council on Libraries (ACL) (www.culture.gov.uk) The ACL advises the Secretary of State upon matters concerned with the delivery of a comprehensive and efficient public library service.

Arts Council England (ACE) (www.artscouncil.org.uk) ACE is the national development agency for the arts in England, distributing public money from Government and the National Lottery. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 17

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Big Lottery Fund (www.biglotteryfund.org.uk) The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out half the money for good causes raised by the National Lottery, to bring improvement to communities and to the lives of people most in need.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (www.bbc.co.uk) The BBC is a public service broadcaster which makes content across a wide range of genres available to a mass audience, primarily through television, radio and new media services.

British Library (www.bl.uk) The British Library is the UK’s National Library and the legal depository for every item of material published in the UK and Ireland. The British Library serves business and industry, researchers, academics and students.

British Museum (www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk) Housed in one of Britain’s architectural landmarks, the British Museum holds in trust for the nation and the world a collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures, spanning two million years of human history.

Channel Four Television Corporation (www.channel4.com) The Channel Four Television Corporation is a self-funding statutory corporation whose primary purpose is providing public service broadcasting for the fourth channel on analogue (except in Wales) and digital platforms.

Churches Conservation Trust (www.visitchurches.org.uk) The Trust cares for those Church of England churches no longer needed for regular parish use which are of the greatest architectural or historical importance. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 18

Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) (www.cabe.org.uk) CABE is the champion for architecture in England and the government’s advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. CABE helps and offers advice to all those who create, manage and use the built environment.

Design Council (www.design-council.org.uk) The Design Council promotes the use of design throughout the UK’s businesses and public services, to help UK managers to become the best users of design in the world.

England Marketing Advisory Board (EMAB) (www.visitbritain.com) EMAB is responsible for overseeing the creation, development, promotion and implementation of the domestic marketing of England as a tourism destination.

English Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk) English Heritage is the Government’s principal adviser on the historic environment. It protects, promotes and researches England’s historic environment, past and present.

Football Licensing Authority (FLA) (www.flaweb.org.uk) The FLA is charged with ensuring the implementation of Government policy regarding safety at football grounds hosting league and international matches in England and Wales. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 19

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Gambling Commission (www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk) The Commission is an independent regulator for all commercial gambling in Great Britain, except the National Lottery and spread betting. It has taken over all the former responsibilities of the Gaming Board for Great Britain, as well as significant new responsibilities for regulating betting and remote gambling.

Geffrye Museum (www.geffrye-museum.org.uk) The Geffrye Museum shows the changing style of the English domestic interior in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day.

Historic Royal Palaces (www.hrp.org.uk) Historic Royal Palaces’ responsibilities are to care for, preserve and present to the public the Unoccupied Royal Palaces.

Horniman Public Museum and Public Park Trust (www.horniman.ac.uk) The Horniman Museum encourages a wider appreciation of the world, its peoples and their cultures, and its environments.

Horserace Betting Levy Appeals Tribunal (www.hblb.org.uk) The Appeals Tribunal is appointed for England and Wales to hear appeals by bookmakers against individual levy liability assessments made by the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

Horserace Betting Levy Board (www.hblb.org.uk) The Levy Board’s role is to assess and collect monetary contributions from bookmakers via the levy, which it then distributes to horse racing. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 20

Horserace Totalisator Board (www.tote.co.uk) The Tote has exclusive licence to operate totalisator betting (i.e. horserace pool betting) and contributes substantial sponsorship to horse racing.

Imperial War Museum (www.iwm.org.uk) The Imperial War Museum is unique in its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present day.

Legal Deposit Advisory Panel (LDAP) (www.culture.gov.uk) LDAP was set up to advise the Secretary of State on the implementation of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003. The Act allows for regulations to be made to extend legal deposit to non-print publications.

Museum of London (www.museumoflondon.org.uk) The Museum of London aims to inspire a passion for London by communicating London’s history, archaeology and contemporary cultures to a wider world.

Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (www.msim.org.uk) Situated in the oldest passenger railway buildings in the world, the Museum illustrates the history of industrial and social development and scientific discovery in the Greater Manchester region.

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (www.mla.gov.uk) MLA is the strategic agency for the sector and together with the nine regional agencies (MLA Partnership) it is leading the transformation of museums, libraries and archives for the future. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 21

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National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) (www.nesta.org.uk) NESTA supports talent, innovation and creativity in the UK by investing in early stage companies, informing innovation policy and encouraging a culture that helps innovation to flourish.

National Gallery (www.nationalgallery.org.uk) The National Gallery houses one of the greatest collections of Western European painting in the world, representing all the major artists and schools of painting.

National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) (www.hlf.org.uk) NHMF acts as a fund of last resort to defend the most outstanding and important parts of our cultural and natural heritage. It distributes the Heritage Lottery Fund.

National Lottery Commission (www.natlotcomm.gov.uk) The National Lottery Commission is responsible for licensing and regulating the National Lottery. It protects the players and maximises funds to good causes.

National Maritime Museum (www.nmm.ac.uk) The National Maritime Museum illustrates the importance of the sea, ships, time and the stars and their relationship with people.

National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI) (www.nmsi.ac.uk) The NSMI collections illustrate the history of the development of physical sciences, technology and medicine. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 22

National Museums Liverpool (www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk) National Museums Liverpool aims to promote the public enjoyment and understanding of art, history and science through its conservation centre and 6 museums and galleries.

National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk) The National Portrait Gallery houses a collection of portraits in various media of eminent persons in British history.

Natural History Museum (www.nhm.ac.uk) The Museum houses over 68 million specimens of animals, plants, fossils, rocks and minerals, which underpin the important research the Museum carries out that benefits the environmental, medical and agricultural sciences.

Office of Communications (OFCOM) (www.ofcom.org.uk) Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. OFCOM is the joint responsibility of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Olympic Delivery Authority (www.alastinglegacy.co.uk) The Olympic Delivery Authority is charged with delivering the construction of the key venues, facilities and infrastructure necessary to stage the London Olympics Games and Paralympic Games in 2012. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 23

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Olympic Lottery Distributor (www.olympiclotterydistributor.org.uk) The Olympic Lottery Distributor supports the delivery of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games by funding the provision of the necessary facilities and infrastructure.

Public Lending Right Advisory Committee (www.plr.uk.com) The Committee advises the Secretary of State and the Public Lending Right Registrar on the Public Lending Right scheme which provides for payments to be made to authors for loans of their books from public libraries.

Regional Cultural Consortia (www.livingeast.org.uk, www.culture-em.org.uk, www.culturenortheast.org, www.culturenorthwest.co.uk, www.culturewm.org.uk, www.culturesoutheast.org.uk, www.culturesouthwest.org.uk, www.yorkshire-culture.co.uk) The eight Regional Cultural Consortia (one in each of the English regions outside London) co-ordinate and promote the cultural and creative interests of the region. These include: Culture East Midlands, Culture North East, Culture North West, Culture South East, Culture South West, Culture West Midlands, Living East, and Yorkshire Culture.

Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art (www.culture.gov.uk) The Committee considers applications for export licences for cultural items of national importance and makes recommendations to the Secretary of State about policy and procedures in the export control of cultural items.

Royal Armouries (www.armouries.org.uk) The Royal Armouries cares for the national collection of arms and armour. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 24

Royal Parks (www.royalparks.org.uk) The Royal Parks manage nine Royal Parks: St James’s Park, Hyde Park, Green Park, Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park and Kensington Gardens, together with a small number of other public spaces in the capital.

S4C (www.s4c.co.uk) S4C, the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority, is a broadcaster and regulator providing television broadcasting for the fourth channel in Wales.

Sir John Soane’s Museum (www.soane.org) The house and Museum of Sir John Soane, R.A, architect (1753-1837). The house holds his extensive collection of antiquities and works of art, as well as his original architectural drawings.

Spoliation Advisory Panel (www.culture.gov.uk) The Spoliation Advisory Panel helps resolve claims from people – or their heirs – who lost cultural objects during the Nazi era (1933-45) which are now held by UK Collections.

Sport England (www.sportengland.org) Sport England is the major public-funded agency responsible for the development of sport in England. Its objectives are to increase the numbers participating in sport, retain more people in sport and achieve greater success in sport. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 25

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Tate Gallery (www.tate.org.uk) Tate houses the national collections of British art from the 16th century to the present day, including the Turner Bequest, and the international collection of 20th and 21st century art.

Theatres Trust (www.theatrestrust.org.uk) The Trust promotes the better protection of theatres, considering planning applications relating to theatre buildings, providing help and advice on planning and design matters, and campaigning on behalf of theatres.

Treasure Valuation Committee (www.culture.gov.uk) The Treasure Valuation Committee advises the Secretary of State on the fair market value of finds of treasure from England, Wales and Northern Ireland that museums wish to acquire.

Tyne & Wear Museums (www.twmuseums.org.uk) Tyne & Wear Museums is a federation of 11 museums and galleries on Tyneside and Wearside, holding collections of art, science and technology, archaeology, military and social history, fashion and natural sciences of regional, national and international importance.

UK Film Council (www.filmcouncil.org.uk) The UK Film Council ensures that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad. It is responsible for investing Government grant-in-aid and National Lottery funding. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 26

UK Sport (www.uksport.org.uk) UK Sport focuses on high performance sport at the UK level, with the aim of achieving sporting excellence on the world stage.

Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) (www.vam.ac.uk) The V&A aims to provide inspiration, learning and delight for all people by showing contemporary art and design and its historical context.

VisitBritain (www.visitbritain.com) VisitBritain is the national tourism body responsible for promoting Britain as a tourist destination overseas and for developing England’s visitor economy.

Wallace Collection (www.wallacecollection.org) The trustees aim to safeguard the collection of works of art bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace in 1897, making it accessible and understandable. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 27

Public appointments and public bodies 27 Public appointments

HOW ARE APPOINTMENTS MADE? The Secretary of State makes most appointments to the (non-executive) boards of the public bodies. In some cases Ministers make recommendations to the Prime Minister, who may in turn advise Her Majesty the Queen. Candidates for vacancies come from a number of sources including a database of people registered with the DCMS Public Appointments Unit, members of the public responding to advertisements, and nominations from the bodies themselves. Vacancies are advertised on the DCMS website, www.culture.gov.uk, and the Cabinet Office website at www.publicappts-vacs.gov.uk. We advertise some vacancies in national newspapers or in publications aimed at particular target audiences.

HOW MANY APPOINTMENTS ARE MADE? DCMS is responsible for over 600 Ministerial appointments to public bodies, making more than 100 appointments or re-appointments each year.

WHAT IS INVOLVED? The time commitment varies from post to post, but most take up to two or three days a month plus preparation time. The Cabinet Office leaflet Guidance on Codes of Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies explains the role of trustees in more detail and is available at www.culture.gov.uk/public- appointments. Role specifications for actual vacancies can be found on the DCMS website.

ARE APPOINTEES PAID? Some posts are remunerated and most offer reasonable expenses. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 28

QUALITIES REQUIRED Most of the public bodies sponsored by DCMS are national bodies and many have a high public profile. We detail exactly what is needed from an appointee in a role specification particular to each role, but competencies that we regularly look for include accountability, team working, communication skills, judgment, strategic vision, and an ability to engage with and respond to the wider public. We welcome applications from people with experience in the public, private or voluntary sector or in community work. Some appointments also call for particular skills – for example finance, law, IT, marketing, communications, media, consumer interests, local government, education, management, fundraising and community work. However we also look for contributions from people from other walks of life who have the enthusiasm and ability to bring a fresh perspective to our public bodies.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES It is government policy that people taking on public appointments should be selected on merit and, as far as possible, public body boards should reflect the make-up of society. DCMS is always keen to hear of potential candidates from under-represented groups and actively encourages applicants from all sections of society. We have set ourselves challenging targets for levels of representation. Further information on this can be found in the DCMS Equality Scheme 2006-2009 available on the internet at www.culture.gov.uk/working_with_us/equality_diversity. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 29

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COMMISSIONER FOR PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS The post of Commissioner for Public Appointments, currently held by Mrs Janet Gaymer, CBE, was created in 1995 in response to a recommendation of the Nolan Committee on Standards in Public Life. The Commissioner is independent of Government and is responsible for monitoring, regulating and advising Departments on appointments procedures. The key principles established by the Commissioner, to which DCMS is fully committed, are Ministerial responsibility; appointment on merit; independent scrutiny; equal opportunity; probity; openness and transparency; and proportionality (procedures should be appropriate for the post in question). The Commissioner is able to investigate and deal with complaints and can be contacted on 020 7276 2625 or email [email protected]. DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 30

30 Further information

Public Appointments Unit Department for Culture, Media and Sport 2-4 Cockspur Street London SW1Y 5DH Phone: 020 7211 600 Website: www.culture.gov.uk

Commissioner for Public Appointments website: www.ocpa.gov.uk

Committee on Standards in Public Life website: www.public-standards.gov.uk

Central government website for public appointments vacancies: www.publicappts-vacs.gov.uk DCMSSecondRevise 11/4/07 14:00 Page 31

We can also provide documents to meet the specific requirements of people with disabilities. Please call 020 7211 6200 or email [email protected]

2-4 Cockspur Street London SW1Y 5DH www.culture.gov.uk