Government appoints new standards in public life chairman
The government has named the new head of the committee on standards in public life.
Former Police Complaints Authority chairman Sir Alistair Graham was appointed by the prime minister and will take over the post next week from Sir Nigel Wicks, whose three-year term of office has ended.
Sir Alistair has been a member of the committee since last October and is also a former head of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission.
The committee is currently investigating how standards of conduct are applied in the public sector. It was established to monitor standards in public life as a response to perceptions of “sleaze” in politics.
“It is a great honour to be asked to chair this committee. High standards of conduct in public life are central to a democratic society,” Sir Alistair said. “They are essential in helping to drive the behaviours required to deliver the high quality public services that citizens rightly expect to receive.
“I have no doubt that there are improvements to be made across the public sector.”
Sir Alistair will shortly also be taking up the post of chairman of the British Transport Police Authority.
Sir Nigel, who oversaw an investigation into special advisers in the wake of the resignations of spindoctors Jo Moore and Martin Sixsmith in 2002, developed a reputation for delivering tough criticism and hard hitting reports.
