§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey)My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
5WSI wish to announce formally the appointment of Michael Grade CBE as the new chairman of the BBC. Her Majesty the Queen approved his appointment in council on 31 March and it will take effect from 17 May for a period of four years.
Michael Grade was the best candidate for the post. He has a passion for broadcasting, especially public service broadcasting. He knows it inside out. He has the energy to lead the BBC from the front, defending its independence and integrity from all comers. I am confident that, in Michael Grade, the BBC will have a chairman of whom it can be proud.
The appointments process by which Michael Grade was appointed followed the Commissioner for Public Appointments' code of conduct rules in full. The post was advertised in the national press and on the Internet. Shortlisted candidates were interviewed by a panel, including an independent assessor, who was involved throughout the process. Additionally, due to the exceptional public interest in this post, Dame Rennie Fritchie, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, chaired an independent scrutiny panel which acted as guarantor for the fairness of the process and to ensure its integrity.
Dame Rennie issued a press notice confirming that the scrutiny panel, consisting of Lord Steel of Aikwood, the right honourable Dr Jack Cunningham and Lord Paul Condon, had examined the process thoroughly and rigorously and was entirely satisfied in the design, implementation and outcome.