Member

Security Vetting Appeals Panel

CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK

Closing date for this post is: Midnight, Friday 15 April 2016

Applications should be sent by email to:

Or by post to:

SVAP Secretariat

Cabinet Office

Room 335

70 Whitehall

London SW1A 2AS

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http://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Contents Page

Diversity and equality of opportunity 3

Background to the Security Vetting Appeals Panel 3

Person specification and eligibility criteria 4

Conditions of appointment 5

Indicative timetable and how to apply 6

How we will handle your application 7

Complaints Process 8

Standards in public life, political activity, disqualification from appointment

and conflicts of interest 8

Appendix 1

The Seven Principles of Public Life 10

Diversity and equality of opportunity

Diversity of opportunity is something the Cabinet Office cares passionately about.

Applications are encouraged from all individuals regardless of ethnicity, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity. We particularly welcome applications from women, those with a disability and those from a black or ethnic minority background.

We would also welcome applications from those who have not previously held public appointments. We want to explore the widest possible pool of talent for these important appointments.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

Cabinet Office operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) for disabled people. The Equality Act 2010 defines a person as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Under the GIS a disabled candidate will be selected for interview if they meet the minimum criteria for the role, decided by the selection panel at sift. To ensure fairness, the panel will not be informed of who has applied under the GIS until they have set the minimum criteria at the start of the sift meeting. If you wish to be considered under the scheme, please complete the GIS Declaration on the Monitoring Form in the supporting documents and send it with your application.

Flexible working practices

The Security Vetting Appeals Panel supports flexible working practices. However, its Members need to be able to attend hearings and events, mostly held in London (although occasionally in Belfast).

Background to the Security Vetting Appeal Panel

The establishment of the Security Vetting Appeals Panel (SVAP) was announced by the Prime Minister (Mr Blair) in July 1997. It is an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), sponsored by the Cabinet Office, and hears appeals against the refusal or withdrawal of national security vetting clearance. It is available to all those in the public and private sectors and in the Armed Forces who are subject to national security vetting and have exhausted existing appeals mechanisms within their own organisations and remain dissatisfied with the result. It is also available to contractors, but not to candidates for recruitment.

The arrangement was confirmed by the Prime Minister (Mr Cameron) following the change of government in 2010, when he published a new document: “HMG Personnel Security Controls” (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmg-personnel-security-controls). The document sets out the process for reviewing decisions to refuse or withdraw national security vetting clearance. It requires organisations to have an internal appeals process against an initial decision. This internal process must follow natural justice principles, with individuals who hear appeals having had no prior involvement in the case. The arbiter is enjoined to operate as transparently as possible, and to consider (i) the decision (including scrutinising the information on which it was based); (ii) the decision-making process; and (iii) the level of disclosure provided to the applicant.

Where an individual has exhausted the internal appeals process, he or she can bring an appeal to the SVAP. The Panel will seek a statement from the appellant and from the organisation and will arrange a hearing. The appellant may be accompanied by a “friend” who can help them present their case. Since the issues considered by the Panel are not matters of law, formal legal representation is not generally permitted.

When the SVAP hears a case, it follows an informal procedure, with hearings confidential to the parties concerned. The Panel will review the decision to refuse or withdraw security clearance and the process involved. It can recommend that the vetting decision should stand, or that security clearance should be granted or restored. It can also comment on the process followed, and can recommend that it be re-run. It makes an ‘open’ report of its findings with recommendations to the head of the department or organisation involved and copies the report to the appellant. SVAP recommendations are not binding on departments and organisations, though in practice they are almost invariably followed.

Where the case involves sensitive information which cannot be shared with the appellant, the Panel may offer the appellant the opportunity to request the appointment of a special advocate, who can make representations on behalf of the appellant. In such cases, a separate ‘closed’ report will be made to the head of the department or organisation.

Composition of the SVAP

The SVAP is a quasi-judicial body and is currently chaired by a retired High Court Judge, with two Deputy Chairs (with senior judicial experience) and eight lay Members. Appointments are made through open competition. Cases are normally heard by a panel of three, consisting of the Chair or a Deputy Chair supported by two lay Members. The Panel is supported by a small Secretariat in the Cabinet Office.

Role of Members

Whilst the SVAP’s Chair has overall responsibility for the performance of the Panel, all Members have an important individual and collective role in working with the Chair and the Secretariat to ensure that it fulfils its remit and meets the governance, financial management and efficiency standards required of it as a public body.

Location

Most Panel hearings take place in London, but the Panel occasionally hears cases in Belfast. Applicants should consider whether any other roles they hold might present a conflict with possible parties to appeal proceedings.

Person specification and eligibility criteria

All candidates must demonstrate, in their CV and supporting letter, how they meet the following criteria, through their knowledge, skills and experience.

Skills/experience required

For the role of Member, successful applicants will need to be able to demonstrate:

Essential

·  The ability to examine and analyse complex issues in an impartial way.

·  A commitment to consensual decision-making.

·  Good communication and team-working skills.

·  The ability to draft reports of case hearings.

Desirable

·  The ability to command the confidence of Ministers, Parliament and the public.

Conditions of appointment

Appointment and tenure of office

These are Prime Ministerial appointments, for a period of up to four years, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers. Successful candidates should be available to take up post from 1 April 2017. Owing to the nature of the work, these posts are designated ‘Reserved’ for UK nationals only and appointments are made subject to the granting of Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance. Successful candidates will therefore be required to hold DV or be willing to undergo the DV process before any appointment can be confirmed.

The balance of individual Panel Members will ideally bring an overall mix of experience and expertise.

For this post, a person cannot be appointed as a Panel Member if he or she is employed in the civil service of the state, has unspent criminal convictions, is subject to bankruptcy, or disqualification as a company director. There must be no employment restrictions, or limit on your permitted stay in the UK.

It will be important that a Member’s other commitments do not cast any doubt on their ability to act independently and impartially in discharging the role; any potential conflict of interest must be declared.

All Panel Members are required to adhere to:

●  The Cabinet Office Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies: http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/governance/blboard/BoardCodeofPractice2011.pdf

●  The Seven Principles of Public Life (see Appendix 1)

Commitment

Members will normally be expected to commit 5-10 days each year, which includes travel to and attendance at Panel hearings, reading case papers and drafting reports.

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Members receive a non-pensionable fee of £240.00 on a per diem basis. They can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs necessarily incurred on Panel business at centrally set rates. Remuneration is taxable under Schedule E and subject to Class I National Insurance contributions.

Performance appraisal

Members will be assessed at least once a year against their performance for each year of their appointment, which will be carried out by the Chair of the Panel.

Indicative timetable and how to apply

Timetable for recruitment

Closing date: Friday 15 April 2016

Shortlisting: w/c 2 May 2016

Interviews held: w/c 23 May 2016 at the Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall, London SW1A 2AS

Provisional appointment start date: 1 April 2017 (subject to the granting of Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance).

Due to limited availability of selection panel members, shortlisted candidates should ensure that they are available to attend on the scheduled interview date as it is unlikely that an alternative date can be accommodated.

Applications

In order for us to progress your application, it must include the following completed documentation (submitting a CV alone will not be sufficient):

·  a full CV, with your education, professional qualifications and full employment history;

·  a supporting letter (maximum 2xA4 pages) setting out your suitability for the role and how you meet the person specification; and

·  a completed ‘Public Appointments Monitoring Form’ (attached) which includes:

·  a conflicts of interest declaration;

·  a request for the names and contact details of two referees who will be contacted if you are shortlisted for interview;

·  a political activity declaration; and

·  a diversity monitoring form.

Applications and supporting documentation should be sent as follows:

By email to:

or

By post to: SVAP Secretariat

Cabinet Office

Room 335

70 Whitehall

London SW1A 2AS

Anyone wishing to discuss the vacancies should contact the SVAP Secretary, Martin Sterling on 0207 276 5645.

Please note that applications may be passed, in confidence, to the Commissioner for Public Appointments (CPA) and the Commissioner’s auditors for the purposes of complaints investigation and audit (8.2 of the CPA Code of Practice refers).

How we will handle your application

The process is one of fair and open competition, in keeping with the Commissioner for Public Appointments'Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies[1].

We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages:

·  We will acknowledge receipt of your application (by email if you have provided this).

·  Your application will be assessed by the selection panel against the candidate profile and your experience relevant to the post. Please ensure that your application includes a supporting letter (as set out above), providing evidence that demonstrates how you meet the criteria. Submitting a CV alone will not be sufficient.

·  At the short-listing meeting the selection panel will decide which candidates will be invited for interview, taking account of the evidence provided by the candidates. You will be advised of the outcome of your application (by e-mail) as soon as possible. If successful, you will be invited to an interview in central London.

·  The responsible Minister (the Minister for the Cabinet Office – Matthew Hancock) may wish to meet the candidates who are deemed appointable by the selection panel, before making a recommendation to the Prime Minister (who will make the final decision). You will be advised after the interview if this is the case and a mutually suitable time will be arranged as soon as possible.

·  If your application is unsuccessful and you would like feedback, please write to the email or postal address to which you sent your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at interview stage.

·  If you have a complaint about the way your application has been handled at any stage of the process, please see the Complaints Process section below.

Complaints Process

If you have a complaint about the handling of your application, please contact the SVAP Secretariat at the Cabinet Office in the first instance (at the address given above).

We will reply to your complaint within 20 days. If, after receiving our response you are still not satisfied, you may contact the Commissioner for Public Appointments:

The Commissioner for Public Appointments

Room G/8, Ground Floor

1 Horse Guards Road

London

SW1A 2HQ

Tel: 0207 271 0849

Email:

The Commissioner for Public Appointments regulates and monitors appointments to public bodies to ensure procedures are fair.

Information about the Commissioner’s policy and manner in which complaints are investigated are set out in the Commissioner’s leaflet Your Guide to Making a Complaint about a Public Appointments Process. This and more information about the role of the Commissioner and his Code of Practice is available from the following website address:

http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/

The Commissioner for Public Appointments would like to find out what you think of the public appointments process. When you have completed the process, the Commissioner would appreciate a few minutes of your time to complete this survey:

http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/candidate-survey/

Your response will be anonymous and will inform the Commissioner's ongoing work with Government Departments to improve the public appointments process.

Standards in public life, political activity, disqualification from appointment and conflicts of interest

Standards in public life

Members of the Security Vetting Appeals Panel will need to confirm that they understand the standards of probity required of public appointees outlined in the “Seven Principles of Public Life” drawn up by the Committee on Standards in Public Life (see Appendix 1).

Political Activity

Members of the Security Vetting Appeals Panel will need to show political impartiality during their time on the Panel and must declare any party political activity they undertake in the period of their appointment.