Following a pre-appointment hearing on Wednesday,
the Education Committee has endorsed
Dame Martina Milburn, the Government’s preferred candidate to be
Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, in a report published
today (see attached).
In endorsing Dame Martina, the Committee calls on her to hold
Government to account by being a vocal champion of social
justice. The Committee calls on Dame Martina to set out her
priorities and strategy for improving the impact of the
Commission and concentrate on championing social justice rather
than duplicating the work of other organisations and think tanks.
Rt Hon , Chair of the Education
Committee, said: “I welcome Dame Martina’s
clear commitment and passion for social justice and pay tribute
to her work with the Prince’s Trust. I am also encouraged by her
enthusiasm for vocational education and understanding of how
apprenticeships and skills provide a ladder of opportunity for
the most disadvantaged in society.
The Committee has endorsed the appointment. We want to be
sure that the pledges she has made to the Committee in terms of
being a campaigner for social justice are evident in the way that
she challenges both the Government and social injustice wherever
it occurs. Our Committee will be holding her feet to the fire on
this. We believe that the Commission must be more than just a
think tank but a body that really transforms social justice in
our country and one that will have a role in assessing the impact
of key domestic legislation in terms of whether it enhances or is
harmful to social justice.
Dame Martina also stressed that she wanted a board of
Commissioners drawn from a broad spectrum of society and would
also appoint apprentices to the secretariat. The Commission
should have the capacity to champion social justice and influence
policy. Our hope is that it is not just made up of the great and
the good but represents people from all backgrounds and all parts
of the country and flies the flag for social justice.”
Dame Martina was announced as the
Government’s preferred candidate on 23 May. The
Commission’s previous Chair, , resigned alongside his three
fellow Commissioners in December. In March, the
Committee published a report
containing recommendations for reform of the SMC.
