Advisory Committee on Business Appointments

This article is part of the Revolving Door project of Spinwatch.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments describes itself as "an independent body which provides advice to the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, or other Ministers if requested, on applications from the most senior Crown servants who wish to take up outside appointments within 2 years of leaving Crown service."

History

The committee was set up in 1975 to advise the prime minister on applications by the most senior Crown Servants to take up appointments outside government. It is an advisory non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Cabinet Office.

Staff

Current members of the committee in 2014 are:

• Sir Hugh Stevenson - appointed interim Chairman April 2014
• Gus Macdonald (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston). Labour former minister and former MP.
• Navnit Dholakia (Lord Dholakia), Liberal Democrat deputy leader in the House of Lords.
• Michael Walker (General The Lord Walker of Aldringham)
• Colin Budd
• Mark Addison appointed 31 May 2012
• Mary Jo Jacobi - appointed 31 May 2012
• Angela Browning - appointed by the Prime Minister as the Conservative Party nominee on the Committee. As with the other Committee members, her appointment is for a five year non-renewable single term, with effect from 1 June 2014 Browning's declared interests include 'Consultancy work for Cumberlege, Eden and Partners Ltd (in field of leadership training).

In October 2014 ACOBA announced that it was seeking applications for the position of chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, and for three positions as members of the Committee. Closing date for applications was 30 October 2014, with interviews due to take place for the chair role in November and for members in mid-December 2014.

For the Chair role a non-pensionable honorarium of £8,000 is payable. For the Member roles a non-pensionable honorarium of £3,000 is payable. All members of the Committee are also eligible to claim any reasonable travel and subsistence expenses incurred in the course of their work.

The Chair is expected to commit an average of 2-3 days a month to the role. Members are expected to commit an average of 1-2 days a month.

Former members

• Ian Lang (Lord Lang of Monkton), Conservative former Scottish Secretary and former Member of Parliament. (Committee Chairman.) - stepped down in March 2014
• Juliet Wheldon (Dame Juliet Wheldon) - served on the Committee from April 2009 to July 2011. She stepped down at the end of July 2011 for personal reasons.
• Bryan Nicholson - dates tbc

Secretariat

The secretariat for the committee is provided by the Cabinet Office, who sponsor the Advisory Committee as an advisory non-departmental public body.

Representatives as of December 2011: Geraldine Alexander (Secretary) | Kate Campbell | Richard Jarvis | Roger Sampson

Review into ACOBA

In March 2012 the House of Commons Public Administration Committee held an evidence session looking at the Business Appointment Rules. It heard evidence from Sir Christopher Kelly the chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Chandrashekhar Krishnan from Transparency International UK and Professor David Miller from campaign group Spinwatch. Watch the session on BBC Democracy Live.

Resources

• Session 2010-12 Business Appointment Rules. Written evidence submitted by Spinwatch (BA 04), House of Commons, www.parliament.co.uk
• [Business Appointment Rules: Government Response to the Committee's Third Report of Session 2012-13 - Administration Committee Contents: Appendix: Government response, www.parliament.co.uk, Prepared 17 July 2014