Public Appointments > Producing guidance > Guidance for applicants
Guidance for applicants
The key people involved in Scotland’s public appointments process include:
- Scottish Ministers: who make the appointments and are ultimately responsible for the process
- Scottish Government: whose officials provide the operational delivery of the selection process on behalf of the Scottish Ministers
- Boards of public bodies: who provide details of the board’s strategic direction, operational context, and succession plans to the selection panel, often by assigning a representative on the selection panel
- Ethical Standards Commissioner: who regulates the public appointments process and is often represented by a Public Appointments Adviser on the selection panel
We, the Ethical Standards Commissioner, are statutorily independent from both the Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Government. This is so that we can fulfil our duty in ensuring appointments are made on merit, using methods that are fair and open, and reflect the diversity of Scottish society today. We do not run the process or make the appointments.