questionText: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued on the use of merit order when using a reserve list for the appointment of a (a) Cabinet Secretary and (b) Permanent Secretary.
answerText: The Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles set out rules on reserve list appointments (here, page 5). This applies to all appointments, and there is no separate guidance for appointment of a Cabinet Secretary or Permanent Secretaries. 
heading: Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment