Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Succession Select search tool published by Cabinet Office and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, on 17 December 2024, if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of the rationale for the Succession Select tool with the policy of external recruitment for Senior Civil Service vacancies.

Succession Select is an enhanced search assistant powered by a large language model (LLM). It is an efficiency tool which provides a list of potential candidates to human talent specialists for consideration and is not used to fill vacancies. When there is a SCS vacancy the usual recruitment practices, policies and procedures apply. This includes the ‘External by Default’ policy to ensure that, where a SCS role is being advertised, it is advertised outside the Civil Service as well as inside. Departments and agencies have authority to determine their practices and procedures for the recruitment of staff to the Civil Service. For Senior Civil Service vacancies, the relevant minister must approve circumstances when the role is not advertised externally.