§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how a person applies, and to whom, to be considered as a member of a rent assessment panel.
§ Sir George YoungCandidates for membership may propose themselves to the Department, or to the president or vice-president of the panel. They may also be proposed by friends or colleagues, or identified by my Department, the Lord Chancellor's Department, the public appointments unit, or by panel presidents.
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§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what reviews have taken place as to the workings of rent assessment panels since the scheme was introduced.
§ Sir George YoungSince the formation of the rent assessment panels in 1965, they have been subject to the normal cycles of departmental administrative reviews applied to non-departmental public bodies. The most recent of those have been an internal audit report in 1990 and a financial management and policy review in 1991. Their adjudicative role was also considered within the context of the wider based civil justice review of 1988, undertaken by the Lord Chancellor's Department.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the term of office that a member serves on a rent assessment panel.
§ Sir George YoungA new member is appointed for a period of up to three years, so as to terminate on the general review date for a similar class of member in that panel. Thereafter, the appointment is reviewed at three-yearly intervals. Members retire automatically in their 70th year.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what salary and allowances are paid to a member of a rent assessment panel.
§ Sir George YoungThe daily fees payable to members of rent assessment panels when sitting on committees and tribunals are as follows:
£ Chairmen 221 Professional Members 177 Lay Members 113 Presidents and Vice-Presidents of panels are salaried and part-time and are paid an appropriate proportion of the following full-time annual rates according to their individual time commitment:
£ London President 55,910 London Vice-Presidents 53,000 Provincial Presidents 53,730 Provincial Vice-Presidents 50,810 Travel and subsistence allowances are paid, when appropriate, at civil service rates.