1 ICAI and the post of Chief Commissioner
1. The Independent Commission on Aid Impact (ICAI)
was established in May 2011 as a Non-Departmental Public Body
(NDPB) sponsored by the Department for International Development
(DFID). ICAI's strategic aims are to provide independent scrutiny
of UK aid spending, and to promote the delivery of value for money
for British taxpayers and the maximisation of the impact of aid.
2. We have scrutinised the work of ICAI since its
inception. We had some concerns about its early work, but we noted
considerable improvement and it has now produced a number of strong
reports.
3. The Commission is headed by a Chief Commissioner
who is responsible for:
a) overseeing delivery of high quality, accessible
and professionally credible reviews through a contracted out service
provider and supported by a small Secretariat;
b) representing ICAI and communicating its reports
to the UK public and International stakeholders, through report
publication and transparency of information on the ICAI website;
c) reporting to Parliament, including appearing
before the International Development Committee at public evidence
sessions;
d) contributing to strengthening the impact of
UK aid, through monitoring implementation and providing feedback
to Government;
e) maintaining the independence of ICAI, while
managing the relationship with DFID and other government departments;
and
f) managing the performance of the three other
Commissioners.
4. The post of Chief Commissioner was advertised
in May 2014. The job specification sought a candidate with:
a) the profile to command respect and credibility
with Parliament and external stakeholders;
b) experience in an international development
context as well as broad understanding of public policy and interest
in international affairs;
c) independence from Government and specific
interest groups (where there could be potential conflicts of interest);
d) a strong track record in scrutiny (private,
public or voluntary sector experience);
e) the ability to represent ICAI effectively
to a broad range of domestic and international audiences including
the UK Parliament; and
f) ability to adhere to the Seven Principles
of Public Life and the highest levels of professional integrity
and propriety.
5. The Secretary of State for International Development
wrote to our Chair on 23 July 2014 informing him that her proposed
candidate for Chief Commissioner was Dr Alison Evans. The Secretary
of State acknowledged our intention to hold a pre-appointment
hearing and provided various documents that are appended to this
Report. We received evidence about the appointment process from
the outgoing Chief Commissioner, Graham Ward, and questioned[1]
Richard Calvert, DFID Director General and a member of the selection
panel. We took evidence from Dr Alison Evans at a pre-appointment
hearing on 9 December 2014.
6. The appointment is for a four year term with a
requirement to apply "in the region of" 65 days per
annum to the role. The current Chief Commissioner claims for about
80 days per year, though he estimates that he works around 16
further days unpaid.[2]
He considers that 80 days per year would be appropriate to carry
out the role effectively. The Secretary of State has indicated
there is room for some flexibility about the number of days.[3]
In light of the experience of the previous Chief Commissioner
and the evidence of how Dr Evans viewed the role, we recommend
that the number of remunerated days for the post of Chief Commissioner
of ICAI be increased to 90.
1 HC 684, Q49 ff. Back
2
He recorded 80.5 days in the year to May 2014, largely because
a Commissioner was unavailable; but estimates he worked, but did
not record or claim for, an additional 16 days. Back
3
Letter from Rt Hon Justine Greening MP to Fabian Hamilton MP dated
12 June 2014, appended. Back
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