§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many names were on the shortlist she received from the panel from which she had to propose a deputy-chairman of the ITC; if she will make a statement on the process by which she chose a name to propose following her receipt of the shortlist; and if she took into account the political views of the people on the shortlist received from the panel; [29412]
(2) how many names were on the shortlist she received from the panel from which she had to propose a vice-chairman of the BBC; if she will make a statement on the process by which she chose a name to propose following her receipt of the shortlist; and if she took into account the political views of the people on the shortlist received from the panel. [29413]
§ Tessa Jowell[holding answer 22 January 2002]: Both the process for the appointment of the BBC Vice-Chair and the process for the appointment of the ITC Deputy-Chair complied with the guidance issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. This provides that all public appointments should be governed by the overriding principle of selection based on merit and that political activity is not a criterion for appointment. In the interests of confidentiality, it is not our policy to release information about individual shortlists.