CPANI Publication Scheme

Introduction

This publication scheme responds to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which requires all public bodies to adopt and maintain a scheme for the proactive publication of information. The schemes are intended to ensure that information is made available without the need for a specific request. Information which would be exempt under Part II of the Act, for example, because it is sensitive or confidential, is not included in our scheme. Such information may be edited out of documents published under the scheme.

In practice, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland (CPANI) has, throughout its existence, been committed to an open and transparent appointments process, whilst treating information provided by candidates in confidence, except where consent has been given for this to be released.

The scheme sets out the classes under which information will be made available, how to obtain it and at what cost.

Responsibility for administering the scheme rests with Mandy Savage. She should also be contacted regarding more detailed enquiries about the Commissioner’s publication scheme.

What we publish in our publication scheme

If the information you require is listed below, but you are unable to locate the information on the CPANI website, please contact us using the contact details above.

Role and membership of CPANI

Information about the appointment of the Commissioner and their remit; information on the business objectives and performance indicators of CPANI.

Information about Ministerial appointments to Public Bodies.

This includes information relating to the principles and process of selection and appointment (i.e. the Commissioner’s Code of Practice), the auditing and monitoring of such appointments’ processes, complaints about any process, and independent scrutiny. It also includes information relating to areas of research conducted on the instruction of the Commissioner in areas considered relevant and important in assessing past performance or framing future policy decisions. This excludes information which might breach the confidentiality of candidates.

Press notices

Press notices released by CPANI relating to its work.

Annual Reports

Text of the Commissioner’s Annual Reports.

Documents placed in the libraries of the House

Documents placed by the Commissioner in the libraries of either House of Parliament, or the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Evidence to Parliamentary and other committees 

Evidence given in public examination by the Commissioner to committees of the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Keynote speeches

Formal keynote speeches given by the Commissioner or CPANI staff members.

Details of CPANI staff

Contact details of officials working within CPANI.

Charges

Most of the information contained in our scheme is available free of charge on our website. Other information is available by post, also free of charge, by contacting CPANI on 028 9052 4820. The Office reserves the right to charge for the production of multiple copies of documents, which are otherwise free of charge. The Office also reserves the right to review the position on charging at any time.

If you can’t find a document

If you can’t find the information you want please contact CPANI and we will try to help.If the information you want is not routinely published, you can make a request for it under the Freedom of Information Act.

Feedback

CPANI will review this publication scheme on a regular basis and would value your assistance in identifying ways to improve it. If you have any comments, suggestions or complaints to make regarding the content or layout of the scheme, please forward these to CPANI using the contact details above.

Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint about this publication scheme, or lack of access to information held by this Office, we would be pleased to hear from you. You should send or e-mail your complaint to the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland, who will personally review each complaint. The Commissioner will aim to investigate your complaint and reply within 15 working days.
If CPANI has not resolved the matter to your satisfaction, you can refer your complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is completely independent from this Office. The Information Commissioner will normally expect you to have used our complaints procedure before considering your complaint. The Information Commissioner can be contacted using the contact details below.

Information Commissioner

More information about Freedom of Information, publication schemes and Data Protection can be obtained from the Information Commissioner who oversees and enforces both the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Northern Ireland Regional Office