Business

Policies and procedures for conducting departmental business

Introduction to Public Appointments

The Department is responsible for making appointments to a variety of public bodies, either directly as Ministerial appointments or by way of nomination to the Boards.

The non-departmental government bodies (NDPBs) for which DCAL is responsible are as follows:

Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI)

Sport Northern Ireland (SNI)

National Museums Northern Ireland (NMNI)

Northern Ireland Museums Council (NIMC)

Other bodies are:

The Governors of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Management Committee

Northern Ireland Screen Commission

Appointments to our NDPBs are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (Northern Ireland) (OCPA NI). The OCPA NI process is used for appointments competitions for bodies within the remit of OCPA NI.

The Department is committed to the principles of public appointments based on merit with independent assessment, openess and transparency of process.The other factors taken into account when considering appoinments are related to equality of opportunity, probity and proportionality.

DCAL has responsibility for ensuring individuals it appoints are committed to the principles and values of public service.

Forthcoming public appointments to the Department's bodies are listed twice-yearly in the six-monthly list of public appointments that is published by the Central Appointments Unit (CAU) of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in the " all Aboard" newsheet.

The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) supports the work of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, Felicity Huston. The Commissioner is independent of the Government and her role is to monitor, report and advise on Ministerial appointments to public bodies for Northern Ireland. The Commissioner is also responsible for investigating complaints

OCPA and the Commissioner do not themselves make any appointments, their role is regulatory.

The Department is required to follow the Commissioner’s Principles and Code of Practice when processing public appointments.

OCPANI Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies (May 2007)

Hounours Guidance (file size 275KB)

Honours Citation Writing (file size 501.5kb)