Committee publication · Report · 29 April 2026 · HC 1864

9th Report - Pre-appointment hearing for the Chair-designate of the Office for Environmental Protection

From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Inquiry: Work of the Department and its arm’s-length bodies

Summary

This joint report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Environmental Audit Committee documents their pre-appointment hearing for Dame Helen Ghosh, the government's preferred candidate to become Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection. The committees scrutinised her qualifications, vision, and independence, conducting a hearing on 28 April 2026. The committees concluded that Dame Helen possesses the required professional competence and personal independence, though they expressed concerns about the timing and nature of the recruitment process.

Key findings

Dame Helen Ghosh, currently Master of Balliol College Oxford, is the government's preferred candidate; she previously served as Permanent Secretary at Defra (2005–2010) and Director-General of the National Trust (2012–2018).
The competitive recruitment process received 34 applications, nine candidates were interviewed, and four were deemed appointable before Ghosh was selected on 17 April 2026.
Committees found Dame Helen has the professional competence and personal independence required of the OEP Chair and that the recruitment followed Cabinet Office Governance Code procedures.
Committees expressed concerns about the timing and nature of the recruitment process and emphasized that Dame Helen must reinforce OEP's independence from government and build relationships with environmental groups and farmers.
The OEP employs 94 staff (88.7 FTE), covers England and Northern Ireland, and holds powers to scrutinise government departments, local authorities, and some private bodies on environmental matters.

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 continue to build and improve relationships with key external stakeholders such as environmental groups and farmers.
Dame Helen must further increase public awareness of the OEP organisation.

Tone

Procedural

Topics

environmental-governancepublic-appointmentsaccountabilityenvironmental-protectionpublic-administration

Key actors

Dame Helen Ghosh, Dame Glenys Stacey, Julie Hill, Alistair Carmichael, Toby Perkins, Office for Environmental Protection, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Notable line

“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.”

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.”
— Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Environmental Audit Committee · Committee's assessment of candidate suitability

“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.”
— Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Environmental Audit Committee · Key condition on Dame Helen's appointment

“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 …”
— Dame Helen Ghosh · Describing her work on environmental strategy at the National Trust

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗