Scrutiny of major appointments
49. We have previously announced our intention of
scrutinising any major diplomatic or consular appointment of
a person from outside the diplomatic service. In Session 2007-08
we took oral evidence from the Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP, the
former First Minister of Scotland, about his prospective appointment
as High Commissioner to Malawi, and we published a Report on this
matter in June 2008.[49]
In the event Mr McConnell did not take up this appointment. We
commented further in our February 2009 Report on the FCO's Annual
Report 2007-08 that the affair of Mr McConnell's appointment had
not been well handled by the Government and was likely to have
caused concern or even offence in Malawi.[50]
50. In the same Report we commented that the appointment
of non-diplomats to diplomatic posts is a matter which requires
public and parliamentary scrutiny. We recommended that the Government
should recognise that such appointments should in principle be
subject to 'pre-appointment hearings' by the Committee. In its
response, the Government stated that it was not willing to accept
this, but offered 'post-appointment hearings'. We had made clear
in our original Report that, irrespective of the Government's
response, such appointments fall within our area of responsibility,
and that we shall continue to exercise that responsibility.
51. The next opportunity to do so occurred when on
4 July 2009 the Government announced that the Rt Hon Baroness
(Valerie) Amos, formerly Leader of the House of Lords, would be
the next High Commissioner to Australia. On 8 July we decided
to take evidence from Baroness Amos in advance of her taking up
her appointment. The Chairman wrote to the Foreign Secretary stating
our view that she should not take up her appointment until she
had given oral evidence. We subsequently took evidence from Baroness
Amos on 21 October; she took up her appointment the following
week.[51]
52. On this occasion, we decided not to publish a
Report, but to address broader issues in relation to diplomatic
appointments with the Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCO when
he gives oral evidence to us in December 2009. We will comment
further on our work relating to the scrutiny of major appointments
in our Report on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's departmental
annual report, which we expect to publish early in 2010.
53. In addition to the hearings with Mr McConnell
and Baroness Amos, on 11 March 2009 we took oral evidence from
Baroness Ashton about her responsibilities as the European Commissioner
responsible for EU external trade policy. Baroness Ashton was
nominated by the Prime Minister to the Commission in October 2008,
following the resignation of the previous Trade Commissioner Peter
Mandelson (now Lord Mandelson).
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