§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyTo ask the Prime Minister when the name of his new Secretary for Appointments will be announced; what process was used to recruit and select the new secretary; who is the head of the department to which the secretary is responsible; and what is his job specification. [966581
§ The Prime MinisterThe name of my new Secretary for Appointments was announced on 11 October. He is William Chapman, a career civil servant on secondment from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The selection process, including an interdepartmental trawl, was based on normal Civil Service appointment practices. My Principal Private Secretary has line management responsibility for this post. The Secretary for Appointments advises me on a wide range of Crown Appointments and on a number of appointments which I make in my own right; he also offers advice on related policy matters and undertakes duties in relation to the honours system. The Appointments Secretary also acts as Ecclesiastical Secretary to the Lord Chancellor, with overall responsibility for advising on the appointments to certain cathedral canonries and parishes.