HC Deb 21 October 2003 vol 411 cc504-6
20. Mr. Mark Hendrick (Preston)

What age restrictions there are on public appointments. [132951]

21. Mr. David Borrow (South Ribble)

What age restrictions apply to public appointments. [132952]

The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Douglas Alexander)

Generally, there are no age restrictions for public appointments. However, certain legal appointments, for example those made by the Lord Chancellor to the magistracy, have some restrictions.

Mr. Hendrick

My hon. Friend will be aware that one in 33 public appointments are of people under the age of 35. When will he get to grips with this problem and make public appointments more representative of the population at large, especially given that he was elected to the House when he was under 35?

Mr. Alexander

I take my hon. Friend's point, not least because of the remark with which he concluded his question. It is fair to say that we want our public appointments to reflect the society that public bodies serve. Younger people have a significant contribution to make to those public bodies. That is why a great deal of work is being done within government and in a range of agencies to ensure that there is better representation not just of younger people, but of all sections of the community that we seek to serve.

Mr. Borrow

If we are to have a more representative age profile of public appointments in Lancashire, we must ensure that some of the barriers that prevent working people from taking up such posts are removed. In my hon. Friend's capacity as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what can he do to ensure that public sector employers give maximum support to their employees in taking up public appointments? What does he intend to do about the private sector, which is where most of the problems lie?

Mr. Alexander

My hon. Friend makes an important point. In my capacity as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, I follow the precedents set by the Department for Constitutional Affairs on magistracy appointments, but I also hold responsibility for public bodies within Government, and I have already had conversations with the relevant Minister in the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that, if there are barriers to people assuming public body positions, those discussions can be taken forward in Government and conclusions reached. A strain of work has been carried out in the Cabinet Office under one of my predecessors on how to deal with any significant barriers that stand in the way of people taking their places on public bodies. Those conversations continue within Government.

Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham)

In light of the hon. Gentleman's welcome opposition to age discrimination, will he tell the House what proportion of applicants for public appointments are above pensionable age, and for what proportion of the totality of appointments they account? By the way, if he is so strongly opposed to age discrimination, why do the hon. Members for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody), for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) and for Ochil (Mr. O'Neill) and the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Kaufman) sit on the Back Benches and not on the Front Benches?

Mr. Alexander

I willingly assume responsibility for many things, but as the phrase has it, that is way above my pay grade. The substantive point that the hon. Gentleman made about the contribution of older citizens to public bodies is a serious one, and it deserves a serious response. The latest figures provided by the Commissioner for Public Appointments show that 8 per cent. of the appointments that fell within her remit are held by people over the age of 66. I do not have the information on applications in front of me. A range of statistics is provided by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman would be kind enough to allow me to write to him.

Mr. Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge)

The Minister mentioned certain appointments made by the Lord Chancellor that are subject to age limits. Will the Government be forced by forthcoming legislation on age discrimination to drop all reference to age limits in such public appointments? If so, would it not be better for them to lead by example, and scrap the age limits now?

Mr. Alexander

Conversations are taking place with the Department for Constitutional Affairs, but I shall be happy to raise the hon. Gentleman's point with the relevant Secretary of State.

Rob Marris (Wolverhampton, South-West)

Can my hon. Friend assure me that he will take particular account of age restrictions affecting younger people—that he will consider, for instance, the age at which a young person might become a school governor—to encourage their participation in our body politic?

Mr. Alexander

That is an important point. Evidence relating to an increase in the proportion of public appointments taken by women reveals that many people who started out as school governors have moved on to other public appointments. The kind of local appointment that my hon. Friend describes strikes me as an ideal starting point, and there is a lesson to be drawn in that regard in the case of younger people as well.