Role details

Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) - Committee Members - 5 roles

Application deadline 23 October 2024

Summary
About the role
Person specification
Application and selection process
Additional information for candidates
Attachments

Summary

Organisation: Regulatory Policy Committee
Sponsor department: Department for Business and Trade
Location: Various
Sectors: Business and Trade
Skills: Business, Regulation
Number of vacancies: 5
Time commitment: 78 day(s) per annum
Remuneration: £500 per day
Length of term: 3 years
Application deadline: 11:59pm on 23 October 2024

Apply for this role

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Timeline for this appointment

Opening date

16 September 2024
Application deadline

11:59pm on 23 October 2024
Sifting date

11 November 2024
Interviews expected to end on

3 December 2024

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the role

Introduction

The Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) is an advisory non-departmental public body of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The RPC provides independent, expert advice on the quality of analysis and evidence used by departments in their assessments of the economic impacts of regulatory interventions. 

The RPC works to improve both the transparency and robustness of measures of the impacts of regulation. It is an important part of the better regulation system, providing stakeholders with confidence that the costs and benefits from regulatory change have been properly considered. 

The RPC is formed of a Chair and seven other members. It is supported by a secretariat of DBT civil servants based in London.

The Committee’s main role involves reviewing assessments of the impacts of regulatory changes produced by analysts in departments and assessing whether they are fit for purpose. These assessments range from light-touch reviews to detailed cost-benefit analyses and include both ex-ante and ex-post estimates.

More information on RPC can be found on here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/regulatory-policy-committee and in our Blog

Introduction from the Secretary of State

Dear candidate,

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) and contributing to the vital role it plays in the nation’s regulatory system.

The RPC is an advisory non-departmental public body, which provides independent scrutiny of the analysis and evidence used by government departments and regulators in their assessments of regulatory proposals. It plays an essential role in the operation of the government’s Better Regulation Framework, making sure that departments’ proposals to regulate business or civil society organisations are appropriately considered and scrutinised. The Government is committed to the role the Better Regulation Framework plays in ensuring that regulatory decisions are based on evidence and sees the RPC’s role as a key part of the process. The Committee will continue to be critical in informing our approach to regulation and the successful candidates will join the committee at what will be an important and challenging time as the government implements its ambitious legislative programme.

My cabinet colleagues and I, believe this is a vital function that helps the government to make better informed decisions. If you believe that you might have the experience and skills that we need to contribute to this work, we very much look forward to hearing from you.  

Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds MPSecretary of State for Business and Trade

Introduction from the Chair

Thank you for your interest in joining the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC). This is an exciting committee to serve on - we comment on the analysis supporting a wide range of proposals from banning plastic straws to energy efficiency measures for domestic buildings to Covid vaccination regulations. There is always an interesting new issue to consider and you would be joining a friendly and supportive team of like-minded experts.

We are currently starting to get to grips with the reformed Better Regulation Framework which sees the RPC offer its input earlier in the process. We hope that this will allow us to add more value to government decisions, including better consideration of alternatives to regulation, and improving monitoring and evaluation plans. We see our role as critical to delivering the Government’s growth mission – we help ensure that all proposed regulation has properly considered its impacts on businesses and households and that policies are delivered in the way that minimises unintended negative consequences.

In order to deliver on our mission, we need a committee with different areas of detailed expertise across the range of our work. So, if you are interested and think you have the skills and experience to contribute, I would encourage you to apply.

Stephen Gibson

RPC Chair

Role description

We are looking for people to bring expert, independent perspectives to the Regulatory Policy Committee and offer constructive, insightful scrutiny of the analysis and evidence underpinning the government's regulatory proposals.

You might be either a professional or academic economist, a regulatory lawyer or someone with experience of regulatory polity in a regulator, regulated company, consultancy or similar organisation.

The time commitment is roughly one and a half days per week, mainly working remotely, but with a requirement to attend meetings in London (including RPC plenary meetings that take place every two months, normally on a Monday).

Organisation description

The RPC is formed of a Chair and seven other members. It is supported by a secretariat of DBT civil servants based in London.

More information on the RPC, including the current composition of the board, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/regulatory-policy-committee and in our blog.

Board composition

The current board consists of:

Chair: Stephen Gibson
Members:

Hilary Jennings
Stephen Gifford
Daniel Dalton
John Longworth
Andrew Williams-Fry
Caroline Elliott
Ryan Williams

Further details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/regulatory-policy-committee

Regulation of appointment

This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website

Person specification

Essential criteria

For both roles (economist and 'generalist'), you must demonstrate the following essential criteria: 

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.
The ability to think and work strategically, and use insights gained from the scrutiny process to advise officials on their use of evidence and analysis.
A strong understanding of the importance of economic and other financial analysis in policy making and evaluation.
Sound judgement - the ability to consider complex and conflicting arguments and provide colleagues with an informed perspective, balanced view and constructive challenge to build consensus.
The ability to work as part of a committee and contribute positively to committee discussions and decisions.
The proven ability to work effectively at pace and to turn work round against short deadlines.

You must also demonstrate the essential criteria relevant to the role(s) for which you apply: 

Generalist Role 

Individuals are sought who have a broad understanding and experience of the impact of regulation on business, voluntary organisations and consumers and who can demonstrate an appreciation of the government's regulatory framework. Successful applicants are likely to have personal experience of the development or implementation of regulatory policy from a private, public or voluntary sector organisation or from an academic research or a policy institute with a focus on regulation. You must be able to use your experience to constructively challenge the evidence base underpinning legislative proposals and policy evaluations.

Economist Role

We are seeking qualified, professional economists with substantial proven competence in applied economics, particularly the application of cost-benefit techniques, other policy appraisal tools and a range of modelling techniques. You must understand the government's economic principles on policy appraisal and evaluation and be able to use economic principles to constructively challenge the evidence base underpinning legislative proposals and policy evaluations.
Expertise in applied macro- and micro-economics. A key priority for this government is economic growth, therefore desirable fields of expertise include the labour market, industrial economics (including market competition) as well as international trade.

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

a Curriculum Vitae (CV) - (no longer than two pages) which provides your contact details, details of your education and qualifications, employment history, directorships, membership of professional bodies and details of any relevant publications or awards;
a supporting statement - (no longer than two pages) setting out how you meet each of the criteria for appointment, as set out in the person specification for the role. Please note that the Supporting Statement is an important part of your application and is as much the means by which you will be assessed as your CV.
equality information
information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the Disability Confident Scheme before you submit your application.

Application guidance

Please ensure your CV includes:
your full name, title, contact number and your personal email address.
maximum two sides A4, minimum 11 Arial black font, setting out your career history in chronological order, and including the dates you occupied those roles.
does not include any information that can identify children or your Sensitive Personal Data.

Guidance on supporting statement format

the supporting statement is your opportunity to demonstrate to the Advisory Assessment Panel how you can demonstrate the skills and experience required for the role and that you meet the criteria set out in the person specification.
please provide subheading and separate paragraphs in relation to how you meet each criterion.
write all acronyms in full when first used.
ensure your full name and the title of the post are clearly noted at the top of your supporting statement.
the maximum page limit for your supporting statement is two sides A4, minimum 11 Arial font black.
does not include any information that identify children or any of your Sensitive Personal Data.

The Advisory Assessment Panel reserves the right to only consider applications that contain all of the elements listed above, and that arrive before the published deadline for applications.

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.
An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.
At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.
Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.
The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.
Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.
Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.
Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

The members of the Advisory Assessment Panel are:

Chris Carr, Director, Regulation Directorate – Panel Chair and DBT Representative
Stephen Gibson – Chair, Regulatory Policy Committee – Partner Organisation Representative
Independent Panel Member (to be confirmed)

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment. There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards.

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

you are disqualified from acting as a company director (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);
have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;
your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors

When you apply, you should declare if:

you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this;
you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points.

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below) If you need further advice, please contact dbtappointments@businessandtrade.gov.uk.

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines.

Additional security clearance to Security Check (SC) level is required for these roles.

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected. 

Demystifying Vetting

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

These short videos address common concerns and preconceptions which applicants may have about national security vetting.

Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s agenda.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people.

As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job advert.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
making adaptations to interview locations;
allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully:

any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government;
any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made;
and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported;

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies.

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers. Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post.

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. However these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

The remuneration rate is £500 per day for 78 days per annum (1.5 days per week).

Applicants should note that the successful candidates cannot be remunerated for this role if they are being paid for an existing full-time role from the public purse.

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

You will receive an automated acknowledgement once your application has been received. If you do not receive this receipt email, then your application will not have been successfully submitted.

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact the DBT Public Appointments Team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at dbtappointments@businessandtrade.gov.uk They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

How to complain to Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)

If you are not content with the appointing department’s response you may wish to further complain to the Commissioner at publicappointments@csc.gov.uk.Further information on how the Commissioner handles complaints can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ website https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/regulating-appointments/investigating-complaints/

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

The Department for Business and Trade will use your data in line with their departmental privacy notice for candidates applying for a public role at DBT.

Contact details

For any questions about these roles please contact Max Conway in the DBT Public Appointments Team at dbtappointments@businessandtrade.gov.uk.

Attachments

Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) 5 Committee Members Roles 2024 - Candidate Pack

Cookies on Apply for a public appointment

Contents