§ Mr. Norman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current appointment criteria used by the NHS Appointments Commission are for appointment to the positions of NHS trust (a) chairman, (b) chief executive and (c) board member; and whether these criteria have changed in the last two years. [131700]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton:The criteria for the appointment of chairs and non-executive directors to national health service boards have been placed in the Library. The only change made to the criteria over the last two years has been to reduce the time commitment expected of non-executives to 2.5 days per month. The reduction is in line with recommendations made in 'Governing the NHS— A guide for NHS Boards', which was jointly published 94W by the Department and the NHS Appointments Commission in June 2003. A copy of the guide has also been placed in the Library.
Chief executives are appointed by the chair and non-executives of NHS boards, not by the NHS Appointments Commission.