HL Deb 26 October 1998 vol 593 cc194-5WA
Lord Colwyn

asked Her Majesty's Government:

  1. (a) Who appoints the members of the panel of the Rent Assessment Committee;
  2. (b) What is the duration of their appointment;
  3. (c) What criteria were laid down for their selection;
  4. (d) To whom are the members of the panel answerable; and
  5. (e) What steps or precautions are taken to ensure their impartiality.
[HL3437]

Lord Whitty

I will answer the noble Lord's questions in the same order as he has asked them:

  1. (a) My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions appoints members of Rent Assessment Panels from which Rent Assessment Committees are drawn, except for those persons who act as a chairman of committees and are appointed by my noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor.
  2. (b) Members are appointed for periods of up to three years and may be reappointed for similar periods subject to satisfactory performance.
  3. (c) Members include qualified lawyers and valuers, and lay persons. The qualities looked for include relevant professional expertise, intellectual grasp, sound judgment, analytical skills, ability to work as a team member and in the case of a chairman, the ability to control proceedings. Following a review of the procedures for appointing members, the majority of appointments to RAPs are now made following advertising and open competition, with a view to widening the catchment from which members are drawn.
  4. (d) Members are answerable to the President of the respective Panel for their general conduct and performance. Rent Assessment Committees are constituted as independent statutory bodies and their decisions are subject to appeal to the courts only on a point of law.
  5. (e) Members are required to declare their interests when first appointed and upon reappointment through Panel Presidents, who are very aware of the need to ensure that members do not consider WA 195 cases in which they have either a personal or professional interest. The Government are looking to strengthen the safeguards still further. Panel Presidents have been asked to consider how a register of members' interests can be made available for public inspection.