SENEDD members have slammed the Welsh government for its failure to recruit diverse candidates from across Wales.

The public administration committee report exposes a series of problems with an inaccessible recruitment process, which focused on candidates usually clustered around Cardiff.

Committee chairman Mark Isherwood said unequal opportunities led to profoundly unequal workplace biases, which marginalise people who live outside Cardiff and candidates with disabilities who need support with their applications.

“Based on the evidence we heard about the recruitment process, we remain unconvinced that enough is being done to develop a pipeline of talent for public appointments,” Mr Isherwood said.

The report identifies various problems with the Welsh government’s administration of appointments, underpinned by issues at its Public Bodies Unit. 

These include a lack of strategy or awareness of forthcoming vacancies and many appointees, along with those seeking public appointment, saying that they were unaware of the unit’s existence.

The committee heard from people who had held public roles or been through the application process. 

Many told of experiencing difficulty in accessing information about positions, suggesting that applying was “an art” requiring a form of words only used by “those in the know.”

The committee also criticises a failure to deliver objectives and key actions in the government’s diversity and inclusion strategy for public appointments, despite it being lauded as a “ministerial priority” when it was published in 2020. 

Mr Isherwood added: “The committee recommends that the Welsh government establish a public appointments commissioner for Wales, as a long-term investment in the country’s future.”

Welsh government spokesperson said: "We are working to improve leadership, delivery, and confidence in public appointments by working with experts and our partners on building a fairer, more inclusive system.

"We are taking further action, especially for disabled candidates and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, including providing funding for programmes to assist in the recruitment process.

“We will consider the Committee's findings and recommendations before responding formally."