We questioned the witnesses about what standards of independence they would expect from NEDs, in particular how independent they should be from ministers with whom they will be working. The Cabinet Office told us that this is not set out explicitly and that it is a judgment call. It further clarified that “independence”, in this context, does not mean that they should be immune from politics, but it should be declared. The Cabinet Office told us that it relies on self-declaration. The Cabinet...

We questioned the witnesses about what standards of independence they would expect from NEDs, in particular how independent they should be from ministers with whom they will be working. The Cabinet Office told us that this is not set out explicitly and that it is a judgment call. It further clarified that “independence”, in this context, does not mean that they should be immune from politics, but it should be declared. The Cabinet Office told us that it relies on self-declaration. The Cabinet Office noted that about 3% of regulated public appointments have a declared political allegiance.25 We further questioned the witnesses about whether NE Type: conclusion | Number: 15 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 3c. PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should: • set out clearly the standards of independence expected of non-executive directors, independent panel members, and senior independent panel members, including what matters must be registered. 3.8 The government