§ Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by his Department towards the aim in the White Paper, Your Region, Your Choice, of encouraging applicants to public bodies from all parts of England; and what change there has been in the geographical diversity of appointees to NDPBs and other public bodies sponsored by his Department since the publication of the White Paper. [108560]
§ Mr. LammyAll vacancies for national upper tier bodies sponsored by the Department are advertised in the national press, as well as in ethnic minority and disability publications. For lower tier bodies, advertisements are either placed in national publications in the same way, or otherforms of publicity are used such as alerting relevant professional bodies to vacancies. Vacancies on the boards of National Health Service trusts, strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are all advertised in the press local to the body involved. Board members can normally only be appointed if they live in the area served by the body.
Vacancies for all local and national bodies are also now advertised on the recently established Cabinet Office vacancies website. In addition, the Department publicisedvacancies on Department of Health public bodies at the regional seminars organised in 2002 by the Women and Equality Unit.
The Department does not collect separate information on the regions in which candidates appointed to bodies reside.