§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the application of Nolan Rules to the appointment of(a) a city councillor and (b) deputy chairman of a regional assembly as a full-time DTI regional broadband advisor. [85244]
§ Mr. TimmsThe 12 men and women appointed as regional broadband advisers or coordinators, who form part of the UK Broadband Task Force, are contract employees or secondees from industry and not civil servants. They were selected on merit through open competition and a range of backgrounds was sought to give the Task Force the necessary mix of skills and experience. In the case of the South West region, the political activities of the successful candidate were set out in full in his application.