Annual Public Appointment Report

In addition to its Board and the advisory committees for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as stated, the FSA is currently responsible for seven public bodies, all of which are advisory bodies. These are the:

• Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs
• Advisory Committee on Microbiological Safety of Food
• Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes
• General Advisory Committee on Science
• Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment
• Advisory Committee on Consumer Engagement
• Social Science Research Committee

Where a committee is a joint responsibility between the FSA and one or more other departments, the reporting is shared.

This report does not include the following, as they are covered in the Department of Health’s plan:

• Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition
• Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment
• Committee on Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment

The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee is included in Defra's plan.

As of October 2010, all four of the the above committees' functions have changed and responsibility is no longer shared with the FSA.

Terms of reference for all the committees that the FSA reports on can be found in the Public Bodies database at the link below.

The FSA Chair has responsibility for making appointments to its advisory committees. Although appointments to these advisory committee are not regulated by the Office for the Commissioner for Public Bodies (OCPA), the FSA still follows the OCPA principles as good practice and is committed to making public appointments based on merit and equal opportunities, with independent assessment, openness and transparency of process.

The FSA’s diversity statistics for the total number of public appointments in each of the past three years is shown in the following table:

Position to date (as at 31 March 2011)
	2009	2010	2011
Total number of appointments	100	98	89
Women	32 (32%)	31 (31.63%)	24 (26.96%)
Ethnic minorities	5 (5%)	4 (4.08%)	4 (4.49%)
Disabled people	1 (1%)	2 (2.04%)	2 (2.05%)

The FSA conducts regular reviews of its advisory committees. As the FSA has a small number of committees, any changes to the total number of appointments it makes or any recruitment undertaken, can have a significant effect on the diversity statistics.

The majority of appointments in the seven advisory committees require appointees with specialist scientific knowledge. It should therefore be borne in mind that the scientific population from which we recruit does not necessarily mirror the general population.

The FSA advertises its public appointment vacancies in a range of ways, including on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments vacancies website, in order to maximise opportunities to attract applicants from diverse backgrounds.

Appointments are usually made for a period of three years. Members may be re-appointed for two further terms. The maximum period they can serve in the same position on a committee is 10 years.

The FSA expert advisory committees usually meet between three and six times a year. All of the FSA's advisory committees expect members' time commitments to be one day attending each committee meeting and time beforehand spent in preparation.

The secretariats provide new members with information about the FSA and the work of the committee. In addition, other induction procedures may be used depending on the individual needs of new members. For example, they may be offered the opportunity to attend relevant workshops.

Future targets (as at 31 March)
	2012	2013	2014
Women	35%	36%	36%
Ethnic minorities	8%	9%	9%
Disabled people	4%	5%	5%

The FSA expects to make 15 new appointments and 17 re-appointments to its advisory committees in 2011/12.

The FSA will continue to maximise opportunities to increase diversity among its committees' membership. This will be achieved in a variety of ways, including mentoring, coaching and reviewing how and where adverts are placed/vacancies are advertised.

New members of advisory committees will continue to receive induction packages and training according to the needs of the individual.

The FSA will continue to keep under review the role of its central appointments unit.