§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister if the Secretary of State will make it his policy to require the House of Lords Appointments Commission to give applicants for a people's peerage reasons for their rejection. [138512]
§ The Prime MinisterNo.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister how many applications for a people's peerage received since 1 January were rejected in the first sift; and what proportion of the total this represents. [138523]
§ The Prime MinisterNone. All nominations received since 1 January 2003 are still being considered by the Commission.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister how many civil servants are involved in the preliminary sift of applications for a people's peerage; at what grade; and if he will make a statement. [138524]
§ The Prime MinisterThe House of Lords Appointments Commission is supported by a secretariat headed by a Senior Civil Servant.
The sifting process is set out in Section 2 of the House of Lords Appointments Commission Report on the First Term 2000–2003, a copy of which is available in the House Library.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister what role recruitment consultants PWC play in the selection of people's peers. [138525]
§ The Prime MinisterNone.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister how much time was spent in each of the last 12 months by(a) the chair and (b) other Members of the House of Lords Appointments Commission on its work. [138510]
430W
§ The Prime MinisterThe full House of Lords Appointments Commission has met five times in the last 12 months. During the same period, sub-groups of Commission members have met as necessary to carry out Commission business.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister if he will require people's peers to publish(a) in the annual report and (b) on the website of the House of Lords Appointments Commission their assessments of their contribution to the work of the second chamber over the preceding year. [138513]
§ The Prime MinisterNo.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister if he will issue guidance to the House of Lords Appointments Commission to permit it to select a proportion of applicants for a people's peerage by lot. [138516]
§ The Prime MinisterI wrote to the House of Lords Appointments Commission in July reaffirming that its remit is to recommend individuals based on their merit and ability to contribute effectively to the work of the House. Copies of this letter are available in the House Library.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister if he will require the House of Lords Appointments Commission to seek an undertaking from successful applicants for a people's peerage to participate fully in the work of the second chamber. [138517]
§ The Prime MinisterIt is for every peer to decide for themselves how they attend the House. The House of Lords Appointments Commission has made clear both in its criteria and in discussion with appointees that wherever possible they should contribute when matters relating to their area of expertise arise. The Commission's information pack also makes it clear that this does not necessarily mean the same time commitment expected of "working peers".
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister how many roadshows the House of Lords Appointments Commission(a) has embarked on since its creation and (b) plans to undertake. [138518]
§ The Prime MinisterIn autumn 2000, the House of Lords Appointments Commission held four meetings in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester to share its approach and to encourage people to think about putting themselves forward. There are no immediate plans to hold more, although the issue is being kept under consideration.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister what his reasons were for re-appointing Lord Stevenson as chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission; and whether an open competition was held for the post. [138522]
§ The Prime MinisterI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 17 July 2003,Official Report, column 444W.
An open competition was not held for the reappointment of any of the Commission members. This is in line with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
431W
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister if he will restrict to two terms of three years the maximum length of service on the House of Lords Appointments Commission. [138660]
§ The Prime MinisterThe House of Lords Appointments Commission comes within the remit of the Commissioner of Public Appointments and appointments to the Commission are made in accordance with the Code of Practice.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister if he will limit the term of appointment of people's peers; and if he will make re-appointment conditional on a record of active participation in the work of the House of Lords. [138695]
§ The Prime MinisterNo. Membership of the House of Lords is currently for life.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Prime Minister how many applications from aspiring people's peers have been received in each month since the last group of successful applications was announced. [138509]
§ The Prime MinisterApplications from members of the public for peerages are given in the table.
2001 2002 2003 January — 16 2 February — 11 9 March — 11 2 April 5 20 3 May 24 7 3 June 38 6 3 July 27 5 7 August 11 4 2 September 15 2 8 October 16 10 9 November 23 5 12 December 8 4 — 1 As from 10 November.