There are no immediate plans to replace the head of Stormont’s quango appointments watchdog nearly three years after the post became vacant.
The Executive Office (TEO) has told The Irish News that the first and deputy ministers will “shortly be considering plans for the way forward” when it comes to finding a successor to Judena Leslie, who stepped down as commissioner for public appointments in May 2021.
The commissioner’s role is to monitor appointments to ensure the recruitment process for quangos is fair and that appointees are representative of the wider population. The watchdog also investigates complaints from the public about the appointment process.
In the time since Mr Leslie stepped down at the end of her tenure, dozens of people have been appointed and reappointed to a range of arm’s length bodies despite no ministers being in place for two years and the absence of effective oversight.
Public appointment rules say successful candidates must provide a declaration of political activity and any potential conflicts of interest.
The commissioner’s office has confirmed that no complaints from the public have been taken forward since May 2021 because it does not have the authority.
Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw, who chairs Stormont’s Executive Office committee, said the continuing failure to appoint a commissioner for public appointments was a “matter of considerable public concern”.
“What this means is that the statutory functions have not been carried out for that entire period, and indeed it appears no annual report has been published since 2019/20,” she said.
“This is all the more the case when it is set alongside other vacancies, not least the absence of a permanent secretary in the Executive Office itself – this erodes public confidence in public bodies and creates considerable and unnecessary risk.”
Ms Bradshaw said she and her party colleagues would “use all available channels to ensure appointments are expedited and a fundamental culture of transparency is restored”.
“We were assured last week by the head of the civil service that issues could be tackled with ‘pace and agility’, yet remarkably we see no requirement to tackle such vacancies – and the consequent inability to carry out vital statutory functions on behalf of the public - in the Executive Office’s immediate action plans,” the South Belfast representative said.
A statement from TEO spokesperson said the commissioner would be appointed by the first and deputy first ministers “acting jointly”.
“Following the return of the executive, ministers will shortly be considering plans for the way forward regarding the post,” the statement said.
“Since the previous commissioner stepped down from her role, the day to day business of CPANI’s office has continued, however, this has not extended to the statutory duties of the post, which only a commissioner can undertake.”