§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what role he had in(a) discussions and (b) recommendations relating to the Chairman of the Wembley Holding Company; [152509]
(2) what involvement Ministers in his Department have had in the appointment of the Chairman of the Wembley Holding Company. [152508]
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 6 March 2001]: Wembley National Stadium Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Football Association. The appointment of Sir Rodney Walker as Chairman of Wembley National Stadium Ltd., and the terms upon which the appointment was made, is entirely a matter for them.
Sir Rodney Walker informed me in December that he had been asked by the Football Association to take over as Chairman of Wembley National Stadium Ltd. and asked for my advice on whether the appointment would conflict with his position as Chairman of the United Kingdom Sports Council. I advised Sir Rodney that as the United Kingdom Sports Council were not directly involved with the Wembley project, in my view no such conflict arose.