HC Deb 25 March 2002 vol 382 cc584-7W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if there is an age limit for(a) men and (b) women, for appointments to a public body in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [43940]

Mr. Leslie

The Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments states that all public appointments should be governed by the overriding principle of selection based on merit, and that care must be taken, at every stage, not to discriminate on a number of grounds including age and gender.

Mr. Forth

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the appointments made by his Department since 1 May 1997 of chairmen of(a) non-departmental public bodies, (b) commissions, (c) inquiries, (d) agencies and (e) task forces; and if he will list their (i) term of office, (ii) salary and (iii) known political affiliation (A) past and (B) present. [33880]

The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State

The following table includes information on appointments made to public bodies sponsored by Cabinet Office and appointments made by Ministers in Cabinet Office. The table does not include appointments to the Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, made by my noble Friend, Lord Macdonald of Tradeston and his predecessors as Minister for the Cabinet Office in the capacity of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

There were no such appointments to commissions, inquiries or agencies.

Term of office
Appointee Body to which appointed Minister who made the appointment Date appointed1 Period Salary
Lord Haskins Better Regulation Task Force Minister for the Cabinet Office September 1997 and September 20001 3 years and 1 year (subsequently extended to March 2002) Nil
Mr. David Arculus Better Regulation Task Force Minister for the Cabinet Office March 2002 3 years Nil
Miss Patricia Downs Civil Service Appeal Board Parliamentary Secretary January 19981 12 months £260 per day
Mr. John Davies Civil Service Appeal Board Parliamentary Secretary May 1999 3 years £310 per day, plus an extra half-day's fee for every full day in attendance for hearings
Mr. Derek Dear Advisory Committee on Advertising Parliamentary Secretary March 1998 3–6 years Nil
Ms Julie Mellor Equal Opportunities Commission Secretary of State for Trade and Industry February 1999 and February 20021 3 years and 3 years £62,500 per annum on appointment; £64,313 per annum wef 1 April 2000; £66,242 per annum wef 1 April 2001
Baroness Christine Crawley Women's National Commission Minister for Women September 1999 3 years £10,000 per annum plus expenses
The Lord Gillmore of Thamesfield GCMG Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Prime Minister February 1999 3 years Unpaid
The right honourable the Lord Mayhew of Twysden QC Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Prime Minister June 1999 3 years Unpaid
Lord Neill of Bladen QC Committee on Standards in Public Life Prime Minister November 1997 3 years £500 per day
Sir Nigel Wicks GCB CVO CBE Committee on Standards in Public Life Prime Minister March 2001 3 years £380 per day
Lord Stevenson of Coddenham CBE House of Lords Appointments Commission Prime Minister May 2000 3 years £5,000 per annum (waived)
Lord Thomson of Monifieth Kt Honours Scrutiny Committee Prime Minister April 1999 No fixed term Unpaid
Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss Security Commission Prime Minister December 1999 3 years Unpaid
Dame Janet Smith Security Vetting Appeals Panel Prime Minister October 2000 3 years Unpaid
Sir Michael Perry Senior Salaries Review Body Prime Minister November 1998 2 years Unpaid
Mr. John Baker Senior Salaries Review Body Prime Minister February 2002 3 years Unpaid
1 Reappointed

For completeness, the following table details appointments made by the Prime Minister to public bodies sponsored by other Departments.

Term of office
Appointee Body to which appointed Sponsor Department Date appointed Period Salary
Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Flyde Armed Forces Pay Review Body Ministry of Defence April 1999 3 years Unpaid
Mr. Rupert Hambro Museum of London Department of Culture, Media and Sport April 2001 5 years Unpaid
Mr. Peter Scott National Gallery Department of Culture, Media and Sport August 1999 5 years Unpaid
Admiral Sir Jock Slater GCB Imperial War Museum Department of Culture, Media and Sport September 2001 3 years Unpaid
Ms Liz Forgan OBE National Heritage Memorial Fund Department of Culture, Media and Sport April 2001 3 years £32,130 per annum
Sir David Hardy National Maritime Museum Department of Culture, Media and Sport October 2000 5 years Unpaid
Sir Peter Williams National Museum of Science and Industry Department of Culture, Media and Sport January 2001 18 months Unpaid
Ms Paula Ridley OBE Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Culture, Media and Sport November 1998 5 years £227 per day
Mr. John Lewis Wallace Collection Department of Culture, Media and Sport May 1998 5 years Unpaid
Michael Blair QC Doctors' and Dentists' Pay Review Body Department of Health March 2001 3 years Unpaid
Professor Clive Booth Nurses, Midwives and NHS Professions' Review Body Department for Health March 2001 3 years Unpaid
Professor Jon Clark Police Negotiating Board Home Office February 2000 4 years Unpaid
Mr. Anthony Vineall Schoolteachers' Review Body Department for Education and Skills February 2000 4 years Unpaid

Information on political affiliation is not collected.

Information on the number, remit and membership of task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews has been published by the Cabinet Office on a regular basis. The first report was published on 11 January 2000 and gives information for the period between 1 May 1997 and 31 October 1999. A second report was published on 27 July 2000, and covered the period 1 November 1999 to 30 April 2000. A third report was published on 13 December 2000 covering the period 1 May 2000 to 31 October 2000. The most recent report, "Task Forces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews", was issued in October 2001, and covers the period of the financial year 2000–01. Copies of these reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Forward to