Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 24230 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Appointments, whether her Department has had discussions with the office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments on the reasons for which the Departmental board was unable to meet.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments regulates public appointments and provides independent assurance in relation to these. We wrote to the Commissioner on 2 October 2024 to consult him on the appointment of an interim Lead Non-Executive Director to ensure non-executive representation at the departmental board. This is in line with central governance requirements for government departments. We report on the activities of the departmental board as part of our standard annual reporting processes, which include the Annual Report and Accounts.