NI Public Appointments Commissioner: “Despite all the supportive talk in principle I don’t see any change in the public appointment process.”

When the previous Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland, Felicity Huston, stepped down from the role in 2011 she, pointedly, wished whoever her successor would be “the best of luck”, noting that She said there were difficulties asserting her role as a regulator at Stormont. “People recruit people who look like them, sound like them and have the same life and work experiences,” she said. The commissioner said there were other issues about the independence of her position. “The …

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Felicity Huston: “The Civil Service struggles with the idea of independence”

The Detail has three reports based on an interview with the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland, Felicity Huston, who is stepping down next month after 6 years in the role.  Mrs Huston reveals that, despite her repeated requests, she has not met the Head of the NI Civil Service, Sir Bruce Robinson, in an official capacity since his appointment 3 years ago. From The Detail’s main report Mrs Huston later said there had been incredulity within the Civil Service with the queries in the press …

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