Debate contribution: Public Appointments

Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on 22 June 2026.

MLA: Mr Robbie Butler
Party at the time: Ulster Unionist Party
Date: 22 June 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Opposition Business
Heading: Public Appointments
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5638036

Text

As an Ulster Unionist spokesperson, I support the motion, not because we believe that every public appointment made in Northern Ireland is flawed or that those who serve on our public bodies do not bring valuable skills and experience — many do — but because public confidence is what matters. In reality, trust in institutions is hard won and easily lost. Once people begin to believe that who you know matters more than what you know, confidence in government starts to erode. That is why the vacancy in the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments should concern every Member of this House. For over four years, from 2021 to 2025, Northern Ireland had no independent watchdog overseeing public appointments. During that period, hundreds of appointments were made to public organisation, ALBs and publicly funded boards. Whether the appointments were entirely appropriate is a reasonable question; however, the more important question is why no independent scrutiny was in place to provide the reassurance that the public deserve. Good governance is not about simply doing the right thing; it is about being able to demonstrate that the right thing has been done. We have all seen appointments generate headlines and public debate. Concerns have been raised about appointments to Invest NI, for instance, and about other public boards and commissioner roles, and questions have been asked about political connections and affiliations.
I thank the Member. He maybe sees everything through a green and orange lens. That is certainly not something that I do. Those concerns have been well covered in the public debate.
The Member will have an opportunity to contribute to the debate —.
Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. In many cases, there may be perfectly legitimate explanations. The difficulty is that, when oversight is absent, suspicions fill the vacuum. That is unfair not only on the public but on those who are appointed. People who put themselves forward for public service deserve to have confidence that their appointment is recognised as being based on merit, expertise and ability. They should not find themselves subject to speculation simply because the system lacks the transparency necessary to command public confidence. The newly appointed commissioner, Claire Keatinge, has spoken openly about the challenges that she has inherited: a significant reduction in independent assessors, limited audit capacity and legislation that has not kept pace with modern governance standards. She described public bodies operating outside the scope of regulation as a significant regulatory gap. We should listen carefully to that warning. Public appointments matter because public bodies matter. These organisations oversee millions of pounds of public expenditure and influence economic development, healthcare, education, infrastructure, environmental protection and public services. The people appointed to lead them should be the very best candidates available, selected through processes that are transparent, robust and beyond reproach. At a time when trust in politics is under pressure across these islands and beyond, we should not be lowering standards; we should be strengthening them. The debate is not about party politics — certainly not — despite what Members from across the Chamber have said, and it is not about settling old scores. It is about recognising that confidence in public appointments underpins confidence in public institutions. People in Northern Ireland deserve to know that appointments are made because individuals are qualified to do the job, not because they happen to know the right people, belong to the right party or move in the right circles. Merit must always come first; transparency must be expected; and independent oversight must never again be allowed to disappear for four years. If we are serious about rebuilding trust in politics and restoring confidence in public appointments, that is a very good place to start.

622 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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