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President of the Council;Leader of the House of Commons

Answer

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Council by what method the Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission was selected; what qualities were sought from applicants; who was involved in the preliminary sift of applications and in the final selection; and if he will make a statement. [160312] Mrs. Beckett: The Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission was selected by an open selection process conducted in accordance with the rules of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (the "Nolan principles"). The advertisement for the Chairman specified that the Government were looking for someone who: Was committed to making the House of Lords a body that is fully representative of all aspects of UK society and culture; Had a track record of significant achievement in public, private, or voluntary sector organisations; Had undisputed integrity and the ability to think clearly and exercise sound judgment, and had no positions and interests that might cast doubt on their ability to act impartially; Could provide a breadth of experience to the Commission; Had the ability to provide firm leadership, ensuring that the Commission's procedures reflected best public appointments practice; Could demonstrate excellent communication skills, including managing the media, and the ability to act as a spokesman for the Commission; and Had a personal style that demonstrated authority, commitment, consistency and fairness in all dealings. The selection of the name to be recommended to the Prime Minister was made by a panel chaired by the Secretary of the Cabinet, assisted by Lord Fellowes and Ms Ann Abraham, the Legal Services Ombudsman and a member of the Wicks Committee, together with two independent assessors who were Sir Herman Ouseley and Ms Paula Grayson, an independent consultant. The process was assisted by recruitment consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers, which made a preliminary assessment of applicants suitability against the criteria, but the panel saw and considered all applications.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

368 c64W;368 c62-3W; 160312

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Applications Advertising Consultants House of Lords Appointments Commission Recruitment Public appointments

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk