Watchdog’s ban on employing recent ex-public servants to change

Mr Barr said the practical implication of the five-year exclusion, which was proposed by former opposition leader Alistair Coe, meant the commission struggled to find suitable staff. “Even if you reduce the period from five years to, say, two, so that you’re not taking people immediately out of a public sector role, that, I am advised, would help,” Mr Barr said.