§ Norman BakerTo ask the Solicitor-General (1) if she will list the(a) Ministers, (b) civil servants and (c) members of the judiciary consulted as part of the selection process which resulted in the appointment of Mr. Ken Macdonald QC as Director of Public Prosecutions. [129242]
(2) if she will make a statement on the appointment of Mr. Ken Macdonald QC as Director of Public Prosecutions; [129244]
(3) if he will list the members of the panels which (a) interviewed and (b) selected Mr. Ken Macdonald QC for the position of Director of Public Prosecutions. [129243]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe appointment of Mr. Ken Macdonald QC as Director of Public Prosecutions was made following a process of fair and open competition.
Advertisements were placed in the national media and legal journals and, as part of the search process, a number of civil servants and members of the judiciary were approached in order to identify suitable candidates.
The selection panel was chaired by the independent First Civil Service Commissioner Baroness Prashar. The other members of the selection panel were Sir Hayden Phillips, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Constitutional Affairs, Sir David Omand, Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office; and Sir Robin Auld, Lord Justice of Appeal. Ken Macdonald QC was recommended for appointment by the panel to the Attorney-General. No other Ministers, civil servants or members of the judiciary, apart from a referee nominated on a confidential basis by Mr. Macdonald, were consulted as part of this process.
782WIn line with normal practice, the Attorney-General informed the Prime Minister's office that he intended to appoint Ken Macdonald.