§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give further details of the curriculum vitae of Mr. Alan Benjamin, whom he has appointed to the London Docklands Development Corporation; whether he has any overlapping financial interests in respect of the functions of the corporation; how many days a week Mr. Benjamin will be engaged on the business of the corporation; and what arrangements are being made for his remuneration.
§ Sir George YoungAs the hon. Member will know from the Department's press notice issued on 12 November, Mr. Benjamin is a director of the CAP Group. He was previously director-general of the Computing Services Association (1975–80) and director of corporate communication for International Computers Ltd. He is a chartered accountant and a Fellow of the British Computer Society.
Mr. Benjamin has no financial interests which overlap with the functions of LDDC. In case such a conflict of interest should occur, the corporation's standing orders require members to declare any direct or indirect financial interest in a matter under consideration at a meeting of the corporation and to refrain from taking part in discussing or voting on the matter.
Mr. Benjamin's appointment, which is for a period of three years, involves a commitment of about half a day a week. The salary based on this commitment, which is not pensionable, is currently £3,615 per annum.