Mr. Liam Herrick:

The Chairman summarised our perspective very clearly. The Bill should be trying to achieve a shift from a system of vetting, in which candidates are simply excluded if they are unsuitable, to one in which candidates are actively selected and recommended. I believe that is the intention of the Department in bringing forward this proposal. Our preference is that the recommendation of the commission include a ranking of candidates in order of preference. We note that some of the other experts who have been before the committee have also suggested an obligation to actively engage with candidates, including through interviews and so on. That is an interesting recommendation but we are broadly coming from the same perspective. We should be moving towards a more active selection and recommendation process. That is a clear recommendation from our point of view.