You should declare any actual or perceived conflicts of interest as part of your application. If you are unsure if your circumstances constitute a possible conflict, you should still give the Selection Panel as much information as possible on the matter.
Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to Ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs, or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests, and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies.
Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (to note: political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).