§ Ms Julie MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many appointments he has made to Welsh non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997; how many of the appointments were(a) men and (b) women; how many existing appointees hold more than one post; and if he will list them. [38753]
§ Mr. Ron DaviesI have made it my general practice to advertise publicly and widely for candidates for the appointments which I make, to attract a new kind of candidate who is more representative of the whole life and community of Wales. This especially applies to the efforts to secure applications from women for these appointments, and I am determined to increase their representation on public bodies in Wales.
Recent initiatives in the media have attracted interest from a number of potential women candidates from across Wales. My Department and I are committed to building on the success of these initiatives with similar exercises in the future.
Between 1 May 1997 and 1 March 1998, I made 110 appointments, either singly or jointly. 78 were to men, and 32 to women. The number of appointments held by women has risen from 26 per cent. to 28 per cent. in the period between December 1997 and March 1998.
445WThere are currently 54 people who hold more than one appointment. I will write separately with the details.
Information on all appointments that I make is published in "Appointments made by the Secretary of State for Wales". A copy of this publication is available in the House of Commons Library.