Correspondence from ACOBA to DESNZ regarding a breach of the Rules (Henry Royce Institute)
Published 10 October 2025
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The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Breach of the government’s Business Appointment Rules: DESNZ application concerning the appointment of Professor Monks with the Henry Royce Institute
I am writing to you with reference to Professor Monks’ application for advice on a role with the Henry Royce Institute, under the government’s Business Appointment Rules (the Rules).
This appointment was announced on the Henry Royce Institute’s website and LinkedIn page on 15 July and 17 July 2025 respectively, as well as Professor Monks’ own LinkedIn page on 17 July. Professor Monks submitted an application to his department on 12 June 2025, which ACOBA received on 4 July 2025. The announcement was discovered during its consideration of the application.
The Rules state that new appointments / employment must not be announced, or taken up, before advice is provided. Professor Monks’ noted the breach and explained that he submitted his application to the department in good time. Further, though it was announced, he did not take up his role until three months after his final day in Crown service.
Failure to seek and await advice in this case was a breach of the government’s Rules and the requirements set out in the Civil Service Management Code. The Committee will therefore not provide advice on this appointment.
In line with the Committee’s policy of transparency, correspondence on this matter will be published on our website and this letter will be copied to the Cabinet Office, as the owner of the Rules.
Murray Hemley
Committee Secretariat
Enclosures:
● ACOBA’s letter to the Cabinet Office