Since her appointment as Permanent Secretary in June 2023, the Department’s Accounting Officer has had a declared conflict of interest regarding rugby union.63 The Department told us that it has put in place arrangements to handle this conflict whereby its Director General for Policy is responsible for decisions and advice to ministers regarding the Department’s involvement in rugby union and its Director General for Finance is responsible for financial matters and acts as Accounting Officer in this area. The post of Director General for Finance is currently vacant, with the role filled by the Department’s Finance Director in the interim.64