EMPLOYMENT OF STAFF BY HON. MEMBERS

That this House calls for a recruitment code for hon. Members as employers; believes that such a code should rule out patronage and require selection at all stages to be demonstrably fair and objective; notes the common practice in the Civil Service to require those on appointment panels to declare interests, including if a relative or close friend was to be interviewed, and then to step aside; accepts that, as the main employer, an hon. Member cannot step aside in this way and therefore invites the Commissioner for Public Appointments to devise an appropriate system for the appointment of hon. Members' staff, including mandatory independent assessment when a relative or a close friend of an hon. Member applies for a post.