Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.

The Civil Service Commission recognises that in some circumstances it may be right to allow appointments to be made outside of the principle of selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Those exceptions are designed to provide a flexible way of recruiting staff where this is necessary in the interests of the Civil Service; for example, to meet a short-term need for specialist skills.

The information requested is contained in the table below.The Ministry of Defence does not hold records of appointments by exception prior to Financial Year 2012-13. For data protection purposes, name of individuals appointed to roles cannot be disclosed.