§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made in establishing the Standards Board for England under the Local Government Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.[155447]
§ Ms Beverley HughesLast month, I appointed Tony Holland as the first chair of the Standards Board for England. I have today appointed Patricia Hughes as Deputy Chair, and John Bowers, Alan Doig, Margaret Pratt, Paul Sabapathy and Roger Taylor as members of the Board. I am in the process of making two further appointments from representatives of local authority elected members and hope to be able to announce these in the near future.
The appointments will provide the Standards Board with a range of expertise and skills from around the country, which will be crucial to the success of its future work. The members will bring wide experience of local government and the public and private sectors to the work of the Board. They will equip the Standards Board with the lay, legal, academic and audit expertise it will need as it faces up to the challenge of the new ethical framework and ensuring the highest standards of conduct in local government.