Queen's Awards (Hansard, 25 February 1999)

§ The Prime Minister

On 15 December 1998,Official Report, column 460, I informed the House that there is to be a review of The Queen's Awards. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has been asked by Her Majesty The Queen to take charge of the review. The Prince of Wales is to chair a committee made up of business persons and senior Government officials. Their report will come to me, as it is on my recommendation that the Awards are made by The Queen. The members of the Review Committee are: Amir Bhatia OBE, Managing Director of Casley Finance Ltd, Chairman of the Simpler Trade Procedures Board, and member of the National Lottery Charities Board. Sir John Browne, Group Chief Executive, BP Amoco plc. Sir John Collins, Group Chief Executive, The Vestey Group, Chairman, National Power PLC and Member of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee for The Queen's Awards. Sir Tom Farmer CBE, Chairman and Chief Executive, Kwik Fit Holdings plc. Carol Galley, Co-head, Merrill Lynch Mercury Asset Management. Graham Hawker CBE, Chief Executive, Hyder plc and Chairman of Business in the Community (Wales), Deputy Chairman of the Welsh Development Agency and Member of the Court of the Bank of England. The Right Honourable Lord Hurd of Westwell CH CBE, Chairman, British Invisibles and Member of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee for The Queen's Awards. John Monks, General Secretary, Trades Union Congress. John Rose, Chief Executive, Rolls Royce plc and a Member of the Council of The Prince's Trust. 411W Sir Michael Scholar KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry, and Member of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee for The Queen's Awards. Sir Dennis Stevenson CBE, Chairman of Pearson plc. Sir Richard Wilson KCB, Secretary of the Cabinet and Chairman of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee for The Queen's Awards.

The Prime Minister's Advisory Committee for The Queen's Awards assists me in advising Her Majesty The Queen on the annual making of Awards. The Government have asked that the review should take account of their wish to encourage enterprise and innovation, as set out in the Competitiveness White Paper published in December 1998. The terms of reference of the Review are as follows: To review the operation of The Queen's Awards Scheme; and, having regard to: the purpose of the Awards, which is to recognise outstanding achievements of UK businesses; the benefit of ensuring that the Awards are up to date and provide the best possible incentive for UK businesses; the wish of the Government to encourage enterprise and innovation; and the need for assessment of achievement to be effective, economical and fair, and based as nearly as possible on objective judgment; to make recommendations.

The recommendations of the Review are to be made in time for any resulting changes to be implemented for the Awards in the year 2000.

The Review is open for consultation to trade associations, businesses and the general public until 7 April 1999. All representations to the Review Committee about the current operation and future shape of The Queen's Awards should be addressed to:

The Secretary
The Queens Awards Review
151 Buckingham Palace Road
London SW1W 9SS
E-mail: queens-awards-review@lond05.dit/gov.uk