§ Mr. ÖpikTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many and what proportion of her Department's appointees to non-departmental public bodies are (i) aged under 25, (ii) aged 25 to 30 and (iii) aged 31 to 35 years. [40741]
§ Mrs. BeckettAs far as I am aware, none of my Department's public appointments is held by people aged under 25; three are held by those aged 25–30 and 51 by those aged 31–35. This represents approximately 0.1 per cent. and 1.7 per cent. respectively of the overall number of appointments. These figures exclude a few appointments to advisory bodies (approximately 2 per cent. of the total) for which details are not available.
The Government are committed to encouraging a wide range of candidates to apply for positions on the boards of public bodies, reflecting the diverse society in which we live. This includes encouraging more young people to put themselves forward as potential candidates for public appointments. All appointments are made on merit, and candidates must demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and experience to match the needs of the public body on which they wish to serve.