§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his written answer of 16 February 1999,Official Report, column 730, (1) if he will give the total amount of annual fees which is payable to (a) Labour, (b) Liberal Democrat, (c) Conservative and (d) independent councillors appointed to NHS trusts or health authorities since 1 May 1997; [72623]
(2) if he will list the numbers of councillors of each political party appointed to each NHS trust or health authority since 1 May 1997; [72624]
(3) if he will list the health authorities and NHS trusts to which each named individual has been appointed, indicating in each case whether the appointment is as (a) chairman and (b) board member. [73898]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answers 22 February and 1 March 1999]: Copies of the following information have been placed in the Library.
A list of all individuals appointed to chairman and non-executive positions on National Health Service trust or health authority boards since 1 May 1997 and who were known to be councillors at the time of their appointment. The listing shows their appointment by name, NHS trust or health authority, political party and whether they were appointed as chairman or non-executive member; and a list of the same information but grouped according to the trust or health authority concerned.
These listings include the names of 12 individuals who were not discovered by the database search of 15 February and reported in my answer of 16 February.
Chairmen receive remuneration in one of three bands according to the turnover of their NHS trust or the allocation made to their health authority.
- Band 1: £19,285
- Band 2: £17,145
- Band 3: £15,125.
All non-executive members or directors receive £5,000.
848WIn a full year, the councillors listed (excluding those whose terms of office have ended) would receive remuneration as follows:
£ Chairmen Non-executives Total Labour 390,895 990,000 1,380,895 Conservative 51,555 45,000 96,555 Liberal Democrat 62,520 125,000 187,520 Other (including independents) 0 40,000 40,000 Local councillors account for 9.9 per cent. of those serving on NHS boards and receive 8.4 per cent. of the total amount of remuneration payable. They bring to the NHS invaluable experience and commitment to the service of their communities.
All appointments are made on merit in accordance with Nolan principles. Information was not collected on the political activity of all non-executives appointed by the last Government, so full comparisons are not possible.