Transparency data

Public Appointments Data Report 2021/22 (HTML)

Published 30 March 2023

  1. Introduction

The data in this report cover public appointments made by United Kingdom Government Ministers to bodies and offices listed in the Schedule to the Public Appointments Order in Council (pdf, 549 KB). These appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and are therefore referred to as regulated roles. The report includes data collected during the appointments process over the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, as well as data on existing appointees at 31 March 2022.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments also publishes data collected on appointments and reappointments in his annual report. The Commissioner’s report includes appointments made by Ministers in the Welsh Government as well as UK Government Ministers, a reflection of the Commissioner’s remit. For this reason, the data on in-year appointments in this report differ from that in the Commissioner’s report.

2. Response rates and sample sizes

The primary data in this report are based on information collected from departments by the Cabinet Office^{[footnote 1]}. This is done manually and, whilst every effort is taken to quality assure the data, errors and omissions can occur. The Cabinet Office has begun to roll out a single online application portal for public appointments alongside an improved website to provide greater functionality and features which will, in due course, assist in data collection and support public appointees to undertake their roles.

Some of the data is presented alongside other official statistics and data published by third party sources (see section 9).

It is important to note that:

• headcount values relating to diversity characteristics based on fewer than five responses are not shown in this report to protect individuals’ confidentiality and because the numbers are too small to draw reliable conclusions. However these figures are included in totals. Where 0% is specified, it indicates a nil response;

• the response rate varies between diversity characteristics (see table 2.1). The response rate includes those who chose any option including those who chose ‘prefer not to say’. The response rate does not include those who did not provide any information for that particular characteristic;

• percentage breakdowns for diversity only include responses that provided known information about a given characteristic and do not include those who chose ‘prefer not to say’. This means, for example, the total ethnic background sample excludes those who did not provide this data or who chose the ‘prefer not to say’ option;

• values in this report are rounded to the nearest whole number which may result in apparent discrepancies in bar graphs.

In January 2020, the diversity monitoring form for public appointments was updated to include a two stage question on disability, in line with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) harmonisation standards for disability. Standardising the language in the form was also another of the commitments set out in the 2019 Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan, and will allow comparison with other published statistics. However, as with any question change, there has been a period during which data is captured using a mix of approaches. This year, whilst the majority of data was collected using the two stage question, a smaller proportion was returned on the single stage question. Section 6 on disability shows the data gathered using the different questions separately.

The response rate for disability was calculated using the number of people who were given the opportunity to answer each particular question as the denominator.

2.1 Response rates for gender^{[footnote 2]} and ethnicity, including respondents who selected ‘prefer not to say’

	Serving appointees	Reappointments made in 21/22	New appointments made in 21/22	Total - new and reappointments made in 21/22
Gender	86%	76%	92%	84%
Ethnicity	78%	76%	91%	84%
Disability (single stage question) for those who were asked this question	99%	93%	96%	96%
Disability (two stage question) for those who were asked this question	80%	98%	97%	98%

3. Total number of appointees

The data show that, on 31 March 2022, there were 4,476 public appointees in regulated roles who were appointed by UK Government Ministers. Of these, 58% (2,580) were in roles where the appointments were made directly by UK Government Ministers and 42% (1,896) were in bodies where the appointing authority has been delegated by Ministers.

Delegated roles include Ministry of Justice appointments made to Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace, Independent Monitoring Boards of any prison or young offender institutions, including national chair and Prisoner Escort and Custody Services lay observers; and Department of Health and Social Care appointments made to NHS Trusts. The responsibility for these appointments was delegated by Ministers because of the volume and local nature of these roles, but Ministers remain accountable for them.

Figure 3.1 illustrates the spread of appointees between departments.

3.1 Total number of public appointees on 31st March 2022

Department	Non-delegated Appointment Chairs and Members on 31st March 2022	Delegated Appointments Chairs and Members on 31st March 2022
All Departments	2,580	1,896
Ministry of Justice	732	1,464
Department of Health and Social Care	175	432
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	383	0
Ministry of Defence	255	0
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	214	0
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	167	0
Home Office	137	0
Department for Education	122	0
Department for Transport	80	0
Department for Work and Pensions	71	0
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities	68	0
Cabinet Office	60	0
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	40	0
HM Treasury	36	0
Northern Ireland Office	30	0
Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK Export Finance)	7	0
Scotland Office	0	0
Department for International Trade	0	0
Attorney General’s Office	0	0

Appointments made in 2021/22

1,190 public appointments were made between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. Of these, 51% (605) were to roles where the appointments were made directly by UK Government Ministers and 49% (585) were made to bodies where the appointing authority has been delegated by ministers.

The new appointments made in 2021/22 consisted of 588 (49%) new appointments and 602 (51%) reappointments. This compares with 46% new appointments and 54% reappointments in 2020/21.

Figure 3.2 illustrates the spread of appointments made between departments. Where the appointments were made by Ministers, 228 of these were reappointments, and 377 were new appointments. For appointments to chair roles made by Ministers, 17 were reappointments and 43 were new appointments.

3.2 Public appointments made by department in 2021/22

Department	Total - new appointments 2021 / 2022	Total - reappointments 2021 / 2022	Total - 2021 / 2022
All Departments	588	602	1,190
Attorney General’s Office	0	0	0
Cabinet Office	7	6	13
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	29	6	35
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	48	37	85
Department for Education	23	27	50
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities	9	8	17
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	38	40	78
Department for International Trade	0	0	0
Department for Transport	8	6	14
Department for Work and Pensions	14	10	24
Department of Health and Social Care	101	84	185
Department of Health and Social Care - delegated	67	55	122
Department of Health and Social Care - non delegated	34	29	63
Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK Export Finance)	0	0	0
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	2	0	2
HM Treasury	3	5	8
Home Office	21	9	30
Ministry of Defence	52	24	76
Ministry of Justice	232	340	572
Ministry of Justice - delegated	144	319	463
Ministry of Justice - non delegated	88	21	109
Northern Ireland Office	1	0	1
Scotland Office	0	0	0

4. Gender Analysis

Public appointees as at 31 March 2022

47% (1,803) of serving public appointees were women, compared to 46% in March 2021 and 44% in March 2020. Figure 4.1 shows the percentage of female public appointees over recent years with comparisons to other sectors of the employment market.

4.1 Percentage of female public appointees compared to other sectors 2017-2022

Metric	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Public appointees	43%	43%	44%	44%	46%	47%
FTSE 100 board members	28%	30%	32%	36%	36%	39%
Economically active population	47%	47%	47%	48%	48%	48%
Senior Civil Service	42%	43%	45%	47%	47%	Data not available

Public appointees by department

The percentage of female public appointees varies by department as illustrated in figure 4.2.

4.2 Percentage of female appointees by department 2019-2022

Department	2022	2021	2020	2019
All Departments	47%	46%	44%	44%
Attorney General’s Office	0%*	0%*	0%*
Cabinet Office	53%	49%	42%	36%
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	34%	39%	36%	35%
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	46%	44%	46%	43%
Department for Education	51%	49%	45%	45%
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities	41%	39%	41%	41%
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	39%	36%	33%	33%
Department for International Trade	0%*	0%*	0%*
Department for Transport	35%	33%	29%	27%
Department for Work and Pensions	44%	36%	35%	36%
Department of Health and Social Care	46%	42%	41%	39%
Department of Health and Social Care - delegated	0%*	44%	52%	39%
Department of Health and Social Care - non delegated	41%	39%	38%	39%
Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK Export Finance)	0%*	0%*	0%*
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office*	46%	41%
HM Treasury	60%	56%	53%	35%
Home Office	43%	22%	24%	23%
Ministry of Defence	24%	22%	24%	23%
Ministry of Justice	54%	55%	54%	54%
Ministry of Justice - delegated	52%	53%	53%	51%
Ministry of Justice - non delegated	58%	60%	55%	60%
Northern Ireland Office	60%	57%	61%	50%
Scotland Office	0%*	0%*	0%*

• values relating to fewer than 5 responses have been removed

Proportion of public appointees: Chairs and members

Overall, the proportion of women board members is 48% in 2022, the same as in 2021, and compared to 46% in 2020 and 45% in 2019. The proportion of Chair or Chair equivalent roles filled by women is 35% in 2022 compared to 33% in 2021, 29% in 2020 and 28% in 2019 (figure 4.3).

4.3 Percentage of female board members and chairs 2019-2022

Appointees	2022	2021	2020	2019
All appointees	47%	46%	44%	44%
Chairs	35%	33%	29%	28%
Board members	48%	48%	46%	45%

Proportion of public appointees: Delegated and non-delegated roles

In posts where the responsibility for appointment has been delegated by Ministers, 51% of appointments were held by women, the same as in 2021, and compared to 49% in 2020. Whilst for those where the appointments are made directly by Ministers, 44% were held by women compared to 43% in 2021 and 41% in 2020 (figure 4.4).

4.4 Percentage of female appointees in roles where ministers have delegated responsibility for appointments, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022

Appointees	2022	2021	2020	2019
Ministry of Justice - Delegated	52%	53%	53%	39%
Department of Health and Social Care - Delegated	46%	44%	42%	51%
All delegated appointees	51%	51%	49%	47%
All non-delegated appointees	44%	43%	41%	42%

Appointments made during 2021/22

The proportion of new appointments and reappointments made by UK Government Ministers in 2021/22 to women was 48% compared to 44% in 2020/21, 52% in 2019/20 and 43% in 2018/19. The breakdown by departments is shown in figure 4.5.

For new appointments and reappointments where the appointing responsibility has been delegated by Ministers, 51% were made to women in 2021/22, compared to 53% of appointments in 2020/21 and 2019/20. In 2018/19, it was 46%. Whilst for appointments made directly by Ministers, 46% were made to women in 2021/22 compared to 36% in 2020/21 and 50% in 2019/20.

4.5 Percentage of female appointments made in 2021/22 by departments

Department	Percentage new and reappointments made to females 2021/22	Percentage of reappointments made to females 2021/22	Percentage of new appointments made to females 2021/22
All Departments	48%	46%	50%
Attorney General’s Office	0%*	0%*
Cabinet Office	54%	50%	57%
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	30%	0%	32%
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	44%	49%	40%
Department for Education	52%	52%	55%
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities	41%	0%*	0%*
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	40%	35%	45%
Department for International Trade	0%*	0%*	0%*
Department for Transport	36%	0%*	0%*
Department for Work and Pensions	48%	0%	54%
Department of Health and Social Care	49%	43%	55%
Department of Health and Social Care - delegated	55%	49%	59%
Department of Health and Social Care - non delegated	40%	31%	47%
Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK Export Finance)	0%*	0%*	0%*
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	0%*	0%*	0%*
HM Treasury	43%	0%*	0%*
Home Office	66%	38%	80%
Ministry of Defence	26%	30%	25%
Ministry of Justice	53%	50%	58%
Ministry of Justice - delegated	50%	50%	50%
Ministry of Justice - non delegated	24%	54%	65%
Northern Ireland Office	0%*	0%*	0%*
Scotland Office	0%*	0%*	0%*

• values relating to fewer than 5 responses have been removed

5. Ethnic background analysis

Public appointees as at 31 March 2022

12% of public appointees were from an ethnic minority background compared to 11% in 2021, 9% in 2020 and 2019, (figure 5.1). This includes individuals from all groups other than white ethnic minority groups (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, African, Caribbean, other and mixed ethnic groups).

5.1 Public appointees from an ethnic minority background compared to other sectors

Metric	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Public Appointees	10%	10%	9%	9%	11%	12%
Economically active population	13%	12%	13%	13%	13%	14%
Senior Civil Service	5%	6%	6%	7%	8%	Data not available

Public appointees by department

Figure 5.2 shows the percentage of appointees from an ethnic minority background by department.

5.2 Percentage of appointees from ethnic minority backgrounds by department at 31 March 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019

Department	Percentage Ethnic Minority 2022	Percentage Ethnic Minority 2021	Percentage Ethnic Minority 2020	Percentage Ethnic Minority 2019
All Departments	12%	11%	9%	9%
Attorney General’s Office	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*
Cabinet Office	9%	11%	4%	0%*
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	7%	6%	3%	6%
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	16%	15%	10%	13%
Department for Education	16%	21%	15%	13%
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities	10%	0%*	7%	0%*
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	4%	2%	3%	0%*
Department for International Trade	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*
Department for Transport	9%	6%	4%	0%*
Department for Work and Pensions	7%	8%	5%	9%
Department of Health and Social Care	19%	16%	14%	15%
Department of Health and Social Care - delegated	20%	17%	14%	13%
Department of Health and Social Care - non delegated	17%	14%	12%	20%
Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK Export Finance)	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	27%	19%	0%*	0%*
HM Treasury	17%	0%*	11%	0%*
Home Office	7%	8%	9%	11%
Ministry of Defence	4%	4%	3%	0%*
Ministry of Justice	11%	9%	9%	8%
Ministry of Justice - delegated	8%	7%	8%	6%
Ministry of Justice - non delegated	17%	16%	14%	11%
Northern Ireland Office	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*
Scotland Office	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*

• values relating to fewer than 5 responses have been removed

Proportion of public appointees: Chairs and members

The proportion of appointee members from an ethnic minority background is 12% at 31st March 2022 compared to 11% at 31st March 2021, 9% at 31 March 2020 and 10% at 31 March 2019. The proportion of appointees from an ethnic minority background in Chair or Chair equivalent roles is 8% at 31 March 2022, the same as at 31st March 2021, and compared to 4% at 31 March 2020 and 5% at 31 March 2019.

5.3 Percentage of board members and chairs from ethnic minority backgrounds 2019-2022

Appointees	2022	2021	2020	2019
All appointees	12%	11%	9%	9%
Chairs	8%	8%	4%	5%
Board members	12%	11%	9%	10%

Proportion of public appointees: Delegated and non-delegated roles

For posts where the responsibility for appointment has been delegated by Ministers, 12% of appointees were from an ethnic minority background compared to 10% of appointees in post on 31 March 2021 and 31 March 2020 and 9% in post on 31 March 2019. For those where the appointments are made directly by Ministers, 12% are from an ethnic minority background compared to 11% on the 31 March 2021, 9% in post on the 31 March 2020 and 10% in post on 31 March 2019.

5.4 Percentage of appointees from ethnic minority backgrounds in roles where ministers have delegated responsibility for appointments 2019-2022

Appointees	2022	2021	2020	2019
All non-delegated appointees	12%	11%	9%	10%
All delegated appointees	12%	10%	10%	9%
Ministry of Justice delegated appointees	8%	7%	8%	6%
Department of Health and Social Care delegated appointees	20%	17%	14%	13%

Appointments made during 2021/22

The proportion of new appointments and reappointments made by UK Government Ministers in 2021/22 to people from an ethnic minority background was 12% compared to 10% in 2020/21, 16% in 2019/20 and 13% in 2018/19. The breakdown by department is shown in figure 5.5.

5.5 Percentage of appointments made to candidates from an ethnic minority background in 2021/22 by department

Department	Percentage of new and reappointments made to candidates from an ethnic minority background in 2021/22	Percentage of reappointments made to candidates from an ethnic minority background in 2021/22	Percentage of new appointments made to candidates from an ethnic minority background in 2021/22
All Departments	12%	9%	17%
Attorney General’s Office	0%*	0%*	0%*
Cabinet Office	0%*	0%*	0%*
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	0%*	0%*	0%*
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	22%	20%	23%
Department for Education	21%	0%*	30%
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities	0%*	0%*	0%*
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	8%	0%*	0%*
Department for International Trade	0%*	0%*	0%*
Department for Transport	0%*	0%*	0%*
Department for Work and Pensions	0%*	0%*	0%*
Department of Health and Social Care	18%	16%	20%
Department of Health and Social Care - delegated	19%	19%	20%
Department of Health and Social Care - non delegated	16%	10%	21%
Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK Export Finance)	0%*	0%*	0%*
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	0%*	0%*	0%*
HM Treasury	33%	0%*	0%*
Home Office	0%*	0%*	0%*
Ministry of Defence	7%	0%*	10%
Ministry of Justice	10%	6%	15%
Ministry of Justice - delegated	5%	5%	7%
Ministry of Justice - non delegated	21%	18%	22%
Northern Ireland Office	0%*	0%*	0%*
Scotland Office	0%*	0%*	0%*

• values relating to fewer than 5 responses have been removed.

For posts where the appointing responsibility has been delegated by Ministers, 10% of appointments were made to candidates from an ethnic minority background in 2021/22 compared to 11% in 2020/21, 17% in 2019/20 and 14% in 2018/19. For those where the appointments are made directly by Ministers, 15% were made to candidates from an ethnic minority background compared to 10% in 2020/21, 15% in 2019/20 and 11% in 2018/19.

6. Disability analysis

Public appointees as at 31 March 2022

6% of public appointees at 31 March 2022 reported having a disability using the single stage question compared to 8% on the 31 March 2021,10% on the 31 March 2020. 7% of public appointments as at 31 March 2022 reported having one or more physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting or expecting to last 12 months or more using the two stage question compared to 8% as at 31 March 2021 and 7% as at 31st March 2020.

6.1 Percentage of public appointees with a disability 2020-2022

By date	Single stage question reported having a disability	Two stage question reported having a disability	Non-specific question format
31st March 2022	6%	7%	0% N/A
31st March 2021	8%	8%	0% N/A
31st March 2019	10%	7%	6%

Proportion of public appointees: Chairs and members

For those who answered the single stage question, the proportion of Chairs who reported having a disability was 2% compared to 6% as at 31 March 2021, 7% as at 31 March 2020 and the proportion of members who reported having a disability was 6% compared to 8% as at 31 March 2021 and 11% as at 31 March 2020. For those who answered the two stage question, the proportion of members who reported having a disability was 7% compared to 9% as at 31 March 2021 and 7% as at 31st March 2020, the proportion of Chairs who reported having a disability was 5%, for the last two years the response rates to this question was too low to report. As shown in figure 6.2.

6.2 Percentage of board members and chairs with a disability reported using each question, 2020-2022

By date	Members who identified as disabled using the two stage metric	Members who identified as disabled using the single stage question	Chairs who identified as disabled using the two stage metric	Chairs who identified as disabled using the single stage question
31st March 2022	7%	6%	5%	0%*
31st March 2021	9%	8%	0%*	6%
31st March 2019	7%	11%	0%*	7%

*values relating to fewer than 5 responses have been removed.

Proportion of public appointees: Delegated and non-delegated roles

The percentage of current appointees who reported having a disability using the single stage question in roles where appointments were made directly by Ministers was 3% compared to 8% as of 31 March 2021 and 9% as of 31 March 2020. For posts where the appointing authority has been delegated by Ministers, the proportion of appointees who reported having a disability using the single stage question was 8%, the same as in March 2021, and compared to 12% in March 2020.

The percentage of current appointees who reported having a disability using the two stage question in roles where appointments were made directly by Ministers was 7% compared to 8% at 31 March 2021 and 7% at 31 March 2020. For posts where the appointing authority has been delegated by Ministers the percentage of current appointees who reported having a disability using the two stage question was also 7% compared to 15% at 31 March 2021.

6.3 Percentage of appointees with a disability in roles where ministers have delegated responsibility for appointments reported using each question, 2022

Appointees	Percentage Chairs and Members who are disabled single stage question no prefer not to say	Percentage Chairs and Members who are disabled two stage question no prefer not to say
Grand Total	6%	7%
Non-Delegated	3%	7%
Delegated	8%	7%

Appointments made during 2021/22

The proportion of new appointments and reappointments made by Ministers in 2021/22 to people who reported having a disability using the single stage question was 4% compared to 13% in 2020/21 and 4% in 2019/20. For roles where the appointing authority has been delegated by Ministers, the proportion of new appointments and reappointments made to people reporting having a disability using the single stage question was 7% compared to 9% in 2020/21 and 2019/20. The proportion of new appointments and reappointments made by Ministers in 2020/21 to people who reported having a disability using the two stage question was 5%, the same as in 2020/21. For delegated roles, the proportion was 8%, with no data being provided on the two stage question in 2020/21.

7. Analysis of other factors

Regional distribution

The regions with the highest proportion of serving public appointees are London and the South East. These figures reflect where appointees currently live, rather than their place of origin. On 31 March 2022, 39% of all public appointees declared their primary residence as being in one of these two regions. This compares with 39% on 31 March 2021 and 43% on 31 March 2020. Figure 7.1 illustrates the regional distribution of serving public appointees alongside the economically active population.

7.1 Regional distribution of current appointees at 31 March 2022 compared to ONS Economically Active Population. Note - The economically active population is the term used by the Office for National Statistics to describe the population who are working, have sought work in the last four weeks and/or are available to start work in the next two weeks.

Region	Appointments at 31st March 2022	2022 non-delegated roles	2022 delegated roles	Office for National Statistics Percentage Economically Active
East	8%	6%	10%	9%
East Midlands	8%	5%	10%	7%
London	21%	24%	17%	15%
North East	4%	4%	4%	4%
North West	9%	7%	10%	11%
Northern Ireland	2%	3%	0%	3%
Scotland	3%	5%	1%	8%
South East	18%	21%	16%	14%
South West	9%	10%	8%	8%
Wales	3%	3%	4%	4%
West Midlands	8%	5%	13%	9%
Yorkshire and Humberside	7%	7%	8%	8%
Other residence	0%	0%	0%	0%

7.2 Regional distribution of current appointees at 31 March 2022, 2021, 2020 – by department

Department	Percentage incumbents from England - London and South East	Percentage incumbents from England - London and South East	Percentage incumbents from England - London and South East	Percentage incumbents from England - Other Regions	Percentage incumbents from England - Other Regions	Percentage incumbents from England - Other Regions	Percentage incumbents from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland	Percentage incumbents from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland	Percentage incumbents from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
	2022	2021	2020	2022	2021	2020	2022	2021	2020
Attorney General’s Office	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*
Cabinet Office	55%	63%	59%	41%	31%	29%	0%*	0%*	12%
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	53%	50%	47%	35%	38%	38%	11%	12%	13%
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	59%	63%	67%	32%	29%	24%	7%	7%	7%
Department for Education	52%	51%	52%	40%	43%	43%	8%	6%	5%
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	32%	36%	39%	61%	60%	56%	7%	4%	5%
Department for Transport	47%	46%	46%	40%	25%	29%	14%	29%	25%
Department for Work and Pensions	51%	55%	52%	40%	35%	35%	9%	9%	13%
Department of Health and Social Care	40%	39%	40%	56%	58%	58%	3%	3%	2%
Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK Export Finance)	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*
Foreign, Commonwealth &  Development Office	48%	43%	82%	39%	43%	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*
HM Treasury	66%	65%	67%	31%	32%	33%	0%*	0%*	0%
Home Office	44%	47%	50%	40%	37%	35%	16%	17%	15%
Ministry of Defence	30%	24%	25%	52%	52%	50%	18%	24%	25%
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities	63%	61%	58%	34%	36%	40%	0%*	0%*	0%*
Ministry of Justice	33%	33%	35%	61%	61%	59%	6%	6%	6%
Northern Ireland Office	0%*	0%*	0%	0%*	0%*	0%	100%	0%*	0%*
Scotland Office	0%*	0%*	No data	0%*	0%*	No data	0%*	0%*	No data
Grand Total	39%	39%	43%	53%	52%	49%	8%	8%	8%
ONS Economically Active	29%	29%	29%	50%	56%	56%	15%	16%	15%

*values relating to fewer than 5 responses have been removed

7.3 Regional distribution of appointments made in 2021/22 compared to ONS Economically Active Population

Region	2021/22 New and Reappointments	2020/21 New and Reappointments	2019/20 New and Reappointments	ONS Economically Active Population
East	8%	8%	9%	9%
East Midlands	8%	8%	6%	7%
London	26%	18%	16%	15%
North East	4%	5%	4%	4%
North West	6%	10%	12%	11%
Northern Ireland	1%	2%	2%	3%
Scotland	3%	4%	1%	8%
South East	17%	18%	19%	14%
South West	9%	7%	8%	8%
Wales	3%	4%	3%	4%
West Midlands	11%	7%	11%	9%
Yorkshire and Humberside	4%	8%	9%	8%
Other residence	0%*	0%*	0%*	0%*

*values relating to fewer than 5 responses have been removed.

Career background - appointments made in 2021/22

84% of individuals who were appointed or reappointed in 2021/22 provided information on their career background compared to 66% in 2020/21 and 71% in 2019/20. Of these, 5% mostly worked in the civil service, 34% mostly worked in the private sector, 4% mostly worked in the third sector, 31% mostly worked in the wider public sector, 22% worked in a mix of sectors and 4% worked in another type of sector.

7.4 Percentage of new and reappointments made in 2021/22 by career background

Region	New and Reappointments 2020/21	New and Reappointments 2021/22
Mostly Civil Service	5%	5%
Mostly Private Sector	31%	34%
Mostly Third Sector	6%	4%
Mostly Wider Public Sector	36%	31%
Mixed	20%	22%
Other Principle Employment	2%	4%

Age of public appointees in post on 31 March 2022

70% of serving appointees on 31 March 2022 are aged 55 years and over (figure 7.5), the same as on 31 March 2021.

7.5 Snapshot of chairs and members (appointees on 31 March 2022) by age

By date	16-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65-74	75-84	85+
31st March 2019	1%	2%	7%	18%	38%	31%	4%	0%
31st March 2020	0%	1%	6%	20%	42%	28%	3%	0%
31st March 2021	1%	3%	7%	19%	38%	28%	4%	0%
31st March 2022	1%	2%	8%	19%	39%	26%	5%	0%

Age – appointments made in 2021/22

62% of all appointments in 2021/22 went to candidates aged 55 years and over (figure 7.6). This compares with 83% in 2020/21 61% in 2019/20 and 60% in 2018/19.

7.6 Age distribution of new and reappointments made during 2021/22

By date	16-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65-74	75-84	85+
2021/22	3%	4%	10%	22%	39%	21%	2%	0%

Sexual Orientation – public appointees on 31 March 2022

75% of serving appointees provided information on their sexual orientation compared to 68% as of 31 March 2021, and 57% on 31 March 2020. Of these, 95% are heterosexual and 5% are lesbian, gay, bisexual or ‘other’ (LGBO).  This compares to 95% heterosexual and 4% lesbian, gay, bisexual or ‘other’ (LGBO) on 31 March 2020, as shown in figure 7.7.

7.7 Sexual orientation of appointees as at 31 March 2022

Sexual Orientation	31st March 2022	31st March 2021	31st March 2020	31st March 2019
Heterosexual	95%	95%	95%	96%
Lesbian, gay, bisexual or other	5%	4%	5%	4%

NB: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding

Sexual Orientation – appointments made in 2021/22

84% of individuals who were appointed or reappointed in 2021/22 provided information on their sexual orientation compared to 65% in 2020/21 and 70% in 2019/20. Of these 93% are heterosexual and 7% are lesbian, gay, bisexual or ‘other’, compared to 95% and 5% respectively in 2019/20 (figure 7.8).

7.8 Percentage of new and reappointments made in 2021/22 by sexual orientation

Sexual Orientation	2021/22	2021/22	2021/22	2021/22
Heterosexual	93%	95%	95%	94%
Lesbian, gay, bisexual or other	7%	5%	5%	6%

Religion - public appointees on 31 March 2022

75% of serving appointees provided information on their religion compared to 64% as of 31 March 2021, 42% as of 31 March 2020. Of these, 0% are Buddhist, 55% are Christian, 2% are Hindu, 3% are Jewish, 2% are Muslim, 1% are Sikh, 1% are another religion and 36% have no religion. Compared to 0% are Buddhist, 58% are Christian, 2% are Hindu, 1% are Jewish, 2% are Muslim, 1% are Sikh, 1% are another religion and 35% have no religion in March 2021.

7.9 Religion of current appointees as at 31 March 2022

Religion	31st March 2022	31st March 2021	31st March 2020
Atheist / No Religion	36%	35%	12%
Another Religion	1%	2%	2%
Sikh	1%	1%	1%
Muslim	2%	2%	2%
Jewish	3%	3%	4%
Hindu	2%	1%	2%
Christian	55%	56%	75%
Buddhist	0%	0.2%	2%

Religion - appointments made in 2021/22

84% of individuals who were appointed or reappointed in 2021/22 provided information on their religion compared to 65% in 2020/21 and 70% in 2019/20. Of these, 52% are Christian, 2% are Hindu, 3% are Jewish, 3% are Muslim, 1% are Sikh, 2% are another religion and 37% have no religion. This compares to 0% Buddhist, 58% Christian, 2% Hindu, 1% Jewish, 2% Muslim, 1% Sikh, 1% another religion and 35% no religion in 2020/21.

7.10 Percentage of new and reappointments made in 2021/22 by religion

Religion	2021/22	2020/21
No Religion	37%	35%
Another Religion	2%	1%
Sikh	1%	1%
Muslim	3%	2%
Jewish	3%	1%
Hindu	2%	2%
Christian	52%	58%
Buddhist	0%*	0%*

*values relating to fewer than 5 responses have been removed.

Political activity

83% of individuals who were appointed or reappointed in 2021/22 provided this data compared to 71% in 2020/21 and 74% in 2019/20. Of these, 6% (55) stated that they had taken part in political activity in the past five years, the same percentage as in 2020/21.

• Declared political activity - 6%
• No declared political activity - 94%

Of the 6% who responded positively to this question, 49% stated that this was on behalf of the Conservative party and 31% on behalf of the Labour party. Compared to 52% and 23% in 2020/21 respectively. Please note that an individual can be politically active for more than one party.

7.11 Proportion by political party of the 6% of people appointed who declared some significant political activity

NB: An individual can be politically active for more than one party.

Party	2021/22	2020/21
Conservative	49%	52%
Green*	0%*	0%*
Labour	31%	23%
Liberal Democrats	14%	15%
Plaid Cymru	0%	0%
Democratic Unionist Party	0%	0%
Sinn Fein	0%	0%
Social Democratic and labour Party	0%	0%
Any other parties *	0%*	0%*

*values relating to fewer than 5 responses have been removed.

8. Progression through the recruitment stages

Below is a breakdown of the success rates of different groups of applicants at different stages of the recruitment process. In this analysis, we can only include campaigns where data has been provided at all stages (235 campaigns out of 276), so the figures here may not be consistent with those in other parts of this report.

8.1 Success rates of different groups through the recruitment stages

Category	Applied	Applied to shortlisted	Shortlisted to found appointable	Found appointable to appointed	Applied to appointed
Female	41%	24%	55%	60%	9%
Male	59%	20%	50%	59%	6%
Ethnic minority	21%	17%	51%	63%	6%
White	79%	22%	57%	56%	7%
Disabled (single stage question)	5%	22%	70%	59%	9%
Not disabled (single stage question)	95%	19%	54%	53%	6%
Disabled (two stage question)	5%	35%	55%	75%	14%
Not disabled (two stage question)	95%	33%	56%	76%	0%

9. Sources

Cabinet Office SCS database, Cabinet Office - The official headline figures used for monitoring diversity of the Senior Civil Service is sourced from the Cabinet Office diversity and inclusion dashboard that collects comprehensive information on those individuals that make up the Senior Civil Service. Data for the period covered in this report were not available at time of publication.

Hampton-Alexander Review provides benchmark data on women on FTSE100 Boards. February 2022 highlights are available

UK Labour Market statistics, ONS - Data for the economically active populations (aged 16-64) are taken from ONS Labour Markets Statistics published November 2022.

Data on employment and employee types.

Labour Market Status by ethnic group.

Regional labour market data.

Data used in this report are March-May 2022.

1. MHCLG became DLUHC in September 2021, and is referred to as DLUHC in this report ↩

2. This terminology is being revised as part of the move to a new online service for public appointments. The language used throughout this report is consistent with that used at the time of data collection. ↩