Appendix 1
Letter to Rt Hon Sir Alan Beith MP, Chair of the
Justice Select Committee, from Rt Hon Jeremy Wright QC MP, Attorney
General, 9 September 2014
The recruitment of a Chief Inspector for Her Majesty's
Crown Prosecution Inspectorate (HMCPSI)
The contract of the current Chief Inspector of HMCPSI
ends at the end of March 2015. As you are aware, this is a public
appointment. I enclose a draft advert for you to consider. I would
be grateful for your thoughts on the advert and any amendments
you may consider appropriate.
The outline timetable for the recruitment is as follows:
| June | Contact with Commissioner of Public Appointments who have appointed an independent assessor
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| August | Recruitment consultants GatenbySanderson selected
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| September | Advert to the Chair of Justice Committee, and if approved, to go live
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| November | Identify preferred candidate and notify Justice Committee
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| December | Pre-appointment hearing and confirm appointment, subject to Committee report
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| 1 April 2015 | Take up appointment
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I hope the timetable meets with your approval and
look forward to hearing your views regarding the advertisement.
Draft job advert for the position of HM Chief
Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service
Appointment title: HM Chief Inspector of Crown
Prosecution Service
Organisation: Attorney General's Office
Location: 20 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0NF
Starting date of appointment: 1 April 2015
Closing date for applications: ??
Length of appointment: 4 years fixed term
Time commitment: Full time
Remuneration: £120K plus pension
Expenses: Reasonable travel and subsistence expenses
in accordance with civil service rules
Overview
The intention is for the preferred candidate to be
identified by November 2014, and for them to be in post by 1 April
2015.
The appointment is for a period of five years.
Candidates for the post will be subject to scrutiny
by Parliamentary Select Committee prior to appointment. Such hearings
will be non-binding but the Attorney General will consider the
committee's conclusions before deciding whether to proceed with
the appointment.
Background to the Organisation
Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
(HMCPSI) is an independent inspectorate. HM Chief Inspector of
HMCSPI is a statutory appointment reporting directly to the Attorney
General, but operating independently of Government and the services
under its scrutiny, Appointment is by open competition and is
made by the Attorney General. The organisation has offices in
both London and York. It is possible for the Chief Inspector to
be based in either London or York.
Role of Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service
Inspectorate
HMCPSI is the independent Inspectorate for the Crown
Prosecution Service (CPS), the principal prosecuting authority
for criminal cases in England and Wales, and the Serious Fraud
Office (SF0). The purpose of the Inspectorate is to enhance the
quality of justice through independent inspection and assessment
of prosecution services, and in so doing improve their effectiveness
and efficiency. It has also assisted the Criminal Justice Inspectorate
for Northern Ireland in its Inspections of the Public Prosecution
Service.
The Inspectorate is responsible for delivering and
developing programmes of inspection and the inspection methodology
against which CPS and SFO are inspected. The Chief Inspector is
actively engaged in leading the day to day inspection process
and needs a comprehensive understanding of how inspection works
and what both good and poor services mean for the public. This
will need to be delivered in the context of reducing resources
and the Reports will need to help the CPS and SFO in taking forward
new ways of working in a positive way. The new Chief Inspector
will need to be capable of developing this understanding quickly
to inform his or her work.
The responsibility for the production of all inspection
reports including findings and recommendations sits with the Chief
Inspector. They will provide independent assurance to the public.
The Chief Inspector is responsible for providing
clear and visible leadership to approximately 40 staff and managing
a tight budget against competing priorities.
The Chief Inspector is an additional accounting officer
and reports to the Treasury Solicitor for the appropriate use
of resources in accordance with budgetary delegation arrangements
Relationship building is key to this role. The new
Chief Inspector will need to build a successful working relationship
with the other Criminal Justice Inspectors, officials in the sponsoring
department and sponsoring ministers.
Essential Criteria
It is essential in your application that you demonstrate
strong performance across the range of competencies set out below.
Applications are welcome from senior leaders with
a wide range of backgrounds from the public, private or voluntary
sector who are able to demonstrate the ability to understand and
work within the Criminal Justice System.
Core competencies
Candidates will be able to demonstrate;
Resilient and inspiring leadership gained at the
highest level with strong experience of leading an organisation
through a landscape of change.
Clear evidence of challenging existing performance
to drive forward improvement whilst identifying best practice
and encouraging innovation,
First class communication skills with the confidence
and capacity to influence a wide variety of audiences on varying
and complex issues.
Strong organisational skills and positive evidence
of successfully managing limited resources and evaluating competing
priorities.
High level of personal and professional conduct and
credibility. Demonstrable ability to engage and command the confidence
of all.
Able to analyse and quickly interpret complex information
and present well developed, evidence based judgments.
The ability to inspire public confidence by demonstrating
objectivity and transparency.
A thorough and practical understanding of the criminal
justice system of England and Wales.
Desirable Criteria
The following criteria although not essential will
also be taken into account by the selection panel:
The ability to develop and communicate a strategic
vision for the inspectorate within the criminal justice system.
Knowledge of prosecutorial responsibilities and functions.
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