Committee publication · Report · 29 April 2026 · HC 1864
10th Report - Pre-appointment hearing for the Chair-designate of the Office for Environmental Protection
Summary
This joint report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Environmental Audit Committee documents a pre-appointment hearing held on 28 April 2026 for Dame Helen Ghosh, the government's preferred candidate to become Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection. The committees scrutinised her professional background, vision for the OEP, and stakeholder engagement plans, ultimately endorsing her appointment while emphasising the importance of maintaining organisational independence.
Key findings
- Dame Helen Ghosh was selected from 34 applications through a competitive recruitment process; nine candidates were interviewed and four were deemed appointable.
- The committees found Dame Helen possesses the required professional competence and personal independence for the role, and that the recruitment process followed Cabinet Office Governance Code standards.
- Committees expressed concerns about the timing and nature of the recruitment process and emphasised that Dame Helen must reinforce the OEP's independence from Government.
- Dame Helen's career spans senior civil service roles including Permanent Secretary at Defra (2005–2010) and the Home Office (2010–2012), and Director-General of the National Trust (2012–2018).
- The OEP employs 94 staff (88.7 FTE) and operates across England and Northern Ireland with statutory powers to scrutinise government departments, local authorities, and private bodies on environmental compliance.
Recommendations
- Dame Helen must continue to reinforce her and the OEP's independence from Government, given concerns about the timing and nature of the recruitment process.
- Dame Helen must build and improve relationships with key external stakeholders such as environmental groups and farmers.
- The OEP must further increase public awareness of the organisation.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Dame Helen Ghosh, Dame Glenys Stacey DBE, Julie Hill MBE, Office for Environmental Protection, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Environmental Audit Committee, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Notable line
“… that Dame Helen continues to reinforce her and the OEP's independence from Government, given our concerns about the timing and nature of the recruitment process.”
Key Quotes
“We are satisfied that Dame Helen has the professional competence and personal independence required of the Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection and that the recruitment campaign and her selection as the government's preferred candidate were conducted in accordance with the Cabinet Office's Governance Code on Public Appointments.”
“It is essential that Dame Helen continues to reinforce her and the OEP's independence from Government, given our concerns about the timing and nature of the recruitment process.”
“In the face of the decline in species, the destruction of habitat and the likely impact of climate change, as a landowner and influencer, the Trust had a vital role to play in showing what sustainable, nature-friendly land management might look like …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗