HOUSE OF LORDSAPPOINTMENTS

COMMISSION

ANNUAL REPORT2003/04

HOUSE OF LORDSAPPOINTMENTS COMMISSION

35 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BQInformation Pack: 020 7276 2315, General Enquiries: 020 7276 2005

Facsimile: 020 7276 2109Internet: www.lordsappointments.gov.ukE-mail: lordsappointments@gtnet.gov.uk

The Rt Hon Tony Blair MPPrime Minister10 Downing StreetLondonSW1A 2AA

Annual Report 2003/04

I enclose the annual report of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

You will see that, although the seven most recent nominations from the Commission were announced on 1 May, we have thought it right to include them in this report since all the work that led up to theirnomination took place during the year. I am glad to say that the Commission has attracted newnominations throughout the year from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Dennis Stevenson

Enc.

Members:The Rt Hon Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, The Lord Dholakia OBE DL,

Dame Deirdre Hine DBE, The Rt Hon Lord Hurd of Westwell CH CBE PC,Mrs Felicity Huston, Ms Angela Sarkis CBE, The Lord Stevenson of Coddenham CBE (Chairman)

CONTENTS

1 Section 1: The Appointments Commission

5 Section 2: The appointments process

11 Section 3: Vetting

16 Appendix A: House of Lords Appointments Commission: Code of Practice

19 Appendix B: Breakdown of nominations considered

20 Appendix C: Members and prospective members of the House of Lords who were vetted bythe Appointments Commission

SECTION 1:

THE APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION

1. In May 2000, the Prime Minister establishedthe House of Lords Appointments Commission.The Government had previously announced itsintention to set up the Commission in theWhite Paper, Modernising Parliament:Reforming the House of Lords, published inJanuary 1999.

2. The Commission is an independent, advisory,non-departmental public body.

The Commission’s remit

3. In July 2003, the Prime Minister wrote to theChairman to confirm the Commission’sreappointment for a further three-year termand restated its remit.

“I am taking this opportunity to re-emphasisethe Commission’s remit, given the unwarrantedcriticism that the last list attracted in somequarters. The Commission was asked to findpeople of distinction who would bringauthority and expertise to the House of Lords,and that remit continues. I would wish you torecommend individuals for non-party-politicalpeerages based on their merit and ability tocontribute effectively to the work of theHouse. Nominees must have independence,integrity and a commitment to the higheststandards of public life. In making yourrecommendations, I trust you will be able to

continue to consider nominees who wouldbroaden the expertise and experience ofthe House and reflect the diversity of thepeople of the United Kingdom. TheCommission’s other role – vetting allrecommendations to the House of Lords[for propriety] – also continues.”

Members of the Commission

4. The House of Lords Appointments Commissionhas seven members, including the Chairman.Three members have been appointed torepresent the main political parties and toensure expert knowledge of the House ofLords. The others, including the Chairman,are independent of the Government and ofpolitical parties.

5. The Commission was originally appointed in2000. The Prime Minister reappointed all sevenmembers in 2003 for a further three-year term,in accordance with the Commissioner for PublicAppointments’ procedures.

6. The Chairman of the Commission is:

• Lord (Dennis) Stevenson of Coddenham CBE,a cross-bench peer. He is Chairman of HBOSplc and Pearson plc. He is also Chairman ofAldeburgh Productions Ltd.

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Members of the Commission, from top left to right: Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, Lord Hurd of Westwell, Dame Deirdre Hine,Ms Angela Sarkis, Lord Stevenson of Coddenham, Lord Dholakia, Mrs Felicity Huston

7. The three other non-party-politicalmembers are:

• Dame Deirdre Hine DBE, Chairman of theBUPA Foundation and President Elect of theBritish Medical Association. She is a formerChairman of the Commission for HealthImprovement and was President of the RoyalSociety of Medicine from 2000 to 2002. She isalso a Vice-President of Marie Curie CancerCare, Chairman of the Royal Society ofMedicine Press Board and a Non-ExecutiveDirector of Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. She was Chief Medical Officer of Wales from1990 to 1997.

• Mrs Felicity Huston, a tax consultant andNon-Executive Director of Moyle Holdings plcand its group companies. She has held anumber of positions in Northern Ireland,including Chairman of the Northern IrelandConsumer Committee for Electricity. She isHonorary Treasurer of the Belfast CharitableSociety (est. 1752) and is a GeneralCommissioner of Income Tax.

• Ms Angela Sarkis CBE, an independentmanagement consultant. She is a Governorof the BBC and Non-Executive Director of theNational Offender Management Board at theHome Office. She was Chief Executive of theChurch Urban Fund between 1996 and 2001,having previously worked in the ProbationService and Family Service Units. She holds arange of trusteeships in the voluntary sector,is an adviser to the Department forEducation and Skills and was an adviser tothe Government’s Social Exclusion Unitbetween 1997 and 2000.

8. The members nominated by the three mainpolitical parties are:

• The Rt Hon Baroness (Brenda) Dean ofThornton-le-Fylde (Labour), a member of theGeneral Insurance Standards Council. She isalso a member of the Honours ScrutinyCommittee and was a member of the RoyalCommission on the Reform of the House of Lords.

• Lord (Navnit) Dholakia OBE DL (LiberalDemocrat), President of the NationalAssociation for the Care and Rehabilitation

of Offenders, Vice-Chairman of the PolicyResearch Institute on Ageing and Ethnicityand Vice-President of the Mental HealthFoundation. Previously he has heldappointments with the Commission for RacialEquality and the Police Complaints Authority.He was elected President of the LiberalDemocrats from 2000 to 2004.

• The Rt Hon Lord (Douglas) Hurd of WestwellCH CBE PC (Conservative), Deputy Chairmanof Coutts & Co. and Honorary President ofthe Prison Reform Trust. He is a member ofthe Honours Scrutiny Committee and was amember of the Royal Commission on theReform of the House of Lords. He wasForeign Secretary between 1989 and 1995and also served as Home Secretary andNorthern Ireland Secretary.

9. The Commission is supported by a smallsecretariat at its office at 35 Great SmithStreet, London SW1P 3BQ. The Secretary to theCommission is Jim Barron.

Role of the House of LordsAppointments Commission

10. The Commission has two responsibilities:

• to make recommendations on theappointment of non-party-political membersto the House of Lords; and

• to scrutinise all nominees to the House ofLords, including those put forward by thepolitical parties, to ensure their propriety.

Recommendations11. The Prime Minister decides the number of

recommendations to be invited from theCommission. He passes these recommendationsto Her Majesty The Queen. He has indicatedthat he will only decline to pass on arecommendation in the most exceptionalcircumstances, such as if a nominee posed a risk to national security.

12. The Prime Minister has reserved the right tonominate a limited number of holders of highpublic office directly to The Queen. TheAppointments Commission will vet any suchnominations for propriety.

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Vetting13. The Commission’s role in vetting nominations

for life peerages is to ensure that nomineeshave upheld the highest standards ofpropriety. Its remit does not extend to thoseindividuals who are appointed to the House ofLords to take on ministerial responsibility.

14. The Commission’s vetting role is discussed inmore detail in Section 3 of this report.

The Commission’s Code ofPractice

15. The Commission’s Code of Practice is includedat Appendix A. It is also included in theCommission’s information pack and onits website.

16. The Commission’s Register of Interests isavailable on the website or from theCommission’s office.

The Commission’s expenditure

17. The Commission’s budget for 2003/04 was£179,000. At the end of the financial year itsexpenditure was £106,000.

18. The major cost for the year was for staffing theCommission’s secretariat. The expenditure forthis was £70,000.

19. The remainder of the expenditure coveredCommission members’ fees, travel andsubsistence, communication advice andsupport, stationery and the production of theCommission’s revised information pack andnomination form.

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SECTION 2:

THE APPOINTMENTS PROCESS

Introduction

20. In the summer of 2003, the Prime Ministerinvited the Commission to makerecommendations for non-party-politicalmembership of the House of Lords. On 1 May2004, the Commission announced its second listof recommendations.

Nominations

21. The Commission continued to receivenominations throughout the year. TheCommission received 232 new nominationsduring the year.

22. All nominees completed the same nominationform and were asked to address the sameselection criteria. These are published in theCommission’s information pack and on itswebsite. In brief, they are:

• a record of significant achievement withinthe nominee’s chosen way of life thatdemonstrates a range of experience, skillsand competencies;

• an ability to make an effective and significantcontribution to the work of the House ofLords;

• the time available to make an effectivecontribution within the procedures andworking practices of the House of Lords;

• some understanding of the constitutionalframework, including the role of the Houseof Lords;

• outstanding personal qualities, in particularintegrity and independence;

• a strong and personal commitment to theprinciples and highest standards of publiclife; and

• independence of any political party.

Closing date for nominations

23. The Commission does not have a closing datefor nominations. It welcomes new nominationsat any time.

24. An internal cut-off date of 31 August 2003 wasused to consider nominations for theCommission’s second list of recommendations.

25. 457 new nominations were consideredalongside those nominations that theCommission retained from its first round. In total, the Commission considered 569nominations for appointment.

26. The Commission is still assessing nominationsreceived after 31 August 2003. Thesenominations will be considered for futureappointments, together with any nominationsit has decided to retain from previous lists.

The assessment process

27. The Commission continued to operate an openand rigorous process. Its recommendations forappointment were made on the basis ofindividual merit and the capacity to make aneffective contribution.

28. The assessment process included a number ofchecks to ensure that all nominations werelooked at fairly and consistently. The process issummarised below.

Stage 129. Before the assessment began, a number of

objective eligibility checks were made on allnominations. For example, it is a statutoryrequirement that appointees to the House ofLords be UK, Commonwealth or Irish nationals,and aged over 21.

Stage 230. The Commission’s secretariat carried out the

first sift. Each team member made an initialassessment of a nomination against thepublished criteria. The team then discussedtheir separate assessments and agreed a finalassessment. Where the team was unable toagree, it was referred to a committee of nofewer than two Commission members to makethe judgement.

31. During this stage, the Commission also carriedout a series of random checks on the process toensure that the assessments were consistentwith the selection criteria.

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Stage 332. Nominations that had passed the first sift were

looked at independently by at least twomembers of the Commission, who agreed ajoint assessment. Where they wanted furtherviews, the nomination was discussed withother members.

Stage 433. The Commission interviewed the 22 nominees

it judged the most outstanding against itspublished criteria. At least two Commissionmembers, including the Chairman, met each ofthese nominees. The same procedure andformat was used for every interview.

Stage 534. Following the interviews, the Commission

reviewed all the information about theshortlisted nominees before drawing up thefinal list of seven.

Prior knowledge of nominees 35. The Commission’s Code of Practice – see

Appendix A – sets out its procedures fordeclaring all acquaintance or friendship withnominees. The Commission places greatimportance on declaring even the slightestacquaintance with a nominee and all membersdetailed every contact they could remember.

36. At the first sifting stage, Commission members’acquaintance with any of the 569 nomineeswas recorded. At the later stages, individualCommission members completed moredetailed declarations and these were madeavailable to all members.

Statistical breakdown ofnominations received

37. Appendix B shows a breakdown of thenominations considered for the Commission’ssecond list of recommendations alongsidecomparative figures for the first list and for the general population. Gender, ethnic origin,nationality, age, regional background anddisability are shown. The percentage figures are very similar to those for the nomineesconsidered for the Commission’s firstrecommendations in 2001.

38. Subject to its recommendations being made onmerit, the Commission was keen to considernominees who would broaden the expertise

and experience of the House of Lords andreflect the diversity of the United Kingdom.Once again, the proportion of nominationsreceived from ethnic minority groups wassignificantly higher than the proportion ofethnic minority groups in the population as awhole – 17% of nominations compared with8% of the general population.

39. However, the Commission would still like toattract a larger number of nominations fromwomen, who again constituted less than 20% of nominees, and from people livingoutside London and the South East.

Recommendations forappointment to the Houseof Lords

40. In May 2004, the Commission announced itsseven recommendations for appointment.Although the appointments were announcedoutside the period covered in this report, asmuch of the work in identifying the nomineeswas carried out during the financial year2003/04, it completes the Commission’s workfor the year to list them here.

41. Those put forward by the Commission were:

• Professor Sir Alec BroersSir Alec Broers became President of the RoyalAcademy of Engineering in 2001 and willserve until July 2006. As President, Sir Alecprovides leadership to the engineeringprofession. He has been able to use hisnational and international links to enhancethe status of British engineering.

As Vice-Chancellor, Sir Alec played asignificant role in the University ofCambridge’s rise as a centre of excellence fortechnology. During his tenure (1996–2003),Cambridge was the first-ranked university inthe Research Assessment Exercise and theTeaching Quality Assessment. Majorbenefactions and partnerships, such as those with Microsoft, the Gates Scholarshipsand Unilever, and new faculty buildings for English and Divinity began during this period.

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Sir Alec previously held a number of seniorpositions at IBM. After leaving the company,he became a member of its Science AdvisoryCommittee.

Sir Alec has served on numerous UK, EC,NATO and other governments’ committees. He also serves on the board of Vodafone plc.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, theInstitution of Electrical Engineers, theInstitution of Mechanical Engineers and theInstitute of Physics.

Sir Alec was knighted in 1998.

• Sir Ewen CameronAs Chairman and Rural Advocate, Sir EwenCameron led the Countryside Agency’s effortsto persuade the Government to take accountof the particular characteristics of rural areaswhen making and implementing policies. Hehas a long history of working to achieve animproved quality of life in rural England.

Sir Ewen was a founding Director of theVillage Retail Services Association (ViRSA). He was a member of the Round Table forSustainable Development and President ofthe Country Landowners Association from1995 to 1997.

Sir Ewen owns and manages the DillingtonEstate in Somerset, where he has formed apartnership to provide affordable housing inthe village of Whitelackington.

Sir Ewen is Chairman of the south-west travelagents group Let’s Go Travel. He foundedand was Chairman from 1989 to 1999 ofOrchard Media Ltd, which runs commercialradio stations in south-west England.

He was knighted in 2003.

• Ms Nicola ChapmanOn leaving a school for disabled children, Ms Chapman struggled to gain entry intomainstream education but was eventuallyaccepted at Park Lane College for FurtherEducation in Leeds.

After further education, Ms Chapman taughtcomputer, mathematics and other skills inseveral organisations, gaining a qualificationin training competence. These positions alsoinvolved counselling work. From 1993 to

1994 she had sole responsibility for theComputing Department at the East LeedsWomen’s Workshops.

Ms Chapman is a volunteer for the HabintegHousing Association, and was on its NationalBoard of Management. She gives talks tolocal colleges and shows people around herown bungalow to promote successfulindependent living to the public. She is theelected Chairman of the ManagementCommittee of Leeds Centre for IntegratedLiving, which promotes independent livingand offers support to disabled people fromother disabled people. The aim of the centreis to empower disabled people by providingthem with positive role models. She haspassed the Peer Support training course atLeeds Centre for Integrated Living.

She is elected Chairman of the ManagementCommittee of LUDO (Leeds United DisabledOrganisation), a self-funding group,operating on a non-profit-making basis,which works to ensure that facilities fordisabled supporters are the same quality as those for non-disabled supporters.LUDO has been recognised by the Football Task Force as the foremost disabled supporters’ organisation.

• Dr Frances D’SouzaSince 1977, Dr D’Souza has pursued a broadagenda in understanding and alleviatingpolitical and economic disadvantage in non-democratic countries and in transitionaldemocracies.

As Executive Director from 1989 to 1998 ofthe free expression organisation, ARTICLE 19,Dr D’Souza initiated and contributed toresearch that resulted in new interpretationsof international treaties governing humanrights standards. This work helped to createan international consensus that freedom ofexpression and access to information arefreedoms that are essential for democracy.She led the successful campaign to promotethe freedom of expression aspects of theRushdie case.

Before this, Dr D’Souza worked in the fieldof development. She founded the Relief andDevelopment Institute, an independentresearch group, in 1977 and subsequently

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acted as its Director. The Institute publishedoriginal research on the earliest economicindicators of severe food shortages andcarried out innovative work on appropriateemergency responses to disasters.

From 1985 to 1989, Dr D’Souza was anindependent research consultant and anOverseas Development Agency ResearchFellow. She acted as a consultant to, amongstother organisations, the UN (UNICEF, WFP,WHO, FAO), the Ford Foundation in Southernand Eastern Africa and the West GermanGovernment. She was a Trustee of the Savethe Children Fund from 1995 to 2003 and iscurrently a Governor of the WestminsterFoundation for Democracy.

• Professor Elaine MurphyProfessor Murphy is a nationally andinternationally recognised leader in herclinical and academic field of the mentalhealth of older people. She is a campaignerfor older people’s health, and for those of allages with mental health problems and theirfamilies. She has worked in the NHS as adoctor, academic and manager.

Professor Murphy has been Chairman of theNorth East London Strategic Health Authoritysince April 2002. The Health Authority isresponsible for the NHS in the City of Londonand the London boroughs of Barking andDagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham,Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and WalthamForest. Professor Murphy has taken a specialinterest in the appointment of non-executivedirectors from local ethnic communities, andthere is now greater representation in theAuthority than in other parts of London. Shehas also used her links with Queen Mary andWestfield College and City University toimprove the strategic alliance between theAuthority and the two institutions.

While Vice-Chairman of the Mental Health ActCommission of England and Wales from 1988to 1994, Professor Murphy worked closely withthe Chairman to reorganise the Commissioninto a more business-like organisation.

From 1983 to 1996, Professor Murphy wasFoundation Professor of the Psychiatry of OldAge at the United Medical and DentalSchools of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals.

This was the first chair established in herfield in the UK. Professor Murphy’sdepartment developed an integratedcommunity-based service with the localauthority, which changed the way mentalhealth services for older people are deliveredin many parts of the UK.

• Dr Diljit RanaDr Rana moved to the UK from India in 1963.In 1966, he settled in Belfast, where hebought a small café. By 1969, Dr Rana hadthree restaurants in the city, employing over40 people. Dr Rana continued to invest inproperties in Belfast, creating commercialoffice space and restaurants. In 1981, he setup Andras House Ltd to manage his portfolioof office, hotel and retail investments. Thecompany now forms one of the largest hotelchains in Northern Ireland, employing over300 people and with a net worth of£30 million. In 1990, he opened the PlazaHotel – the first new hotel to open in Belfastfor over 20 years. Two other major hotelprojects are under way.

Dr Rana was President of the BelfastChamber of Trade and Commerce from 1991 to 1992 and became President of theNorthern Ireland Chamber of Commerce inMay this year.

Dr Rana was involved in the establishment of the Indian Business Forum in 1985 topromote inward investment in NorthernIreland. In 1996, he set up the RanaCharitable Trust to support local charities andarrange cultural events, with the aim ofpromoting better understanding betweendifferent cultures. The Trust is currentlydeveloping an educational institution inSanghol, Punjab. A college will open on thesite in July 2004, with the University of Ulsterproviding degree and diploma courses.

He has recently been appointed a Vice-President of UNICEF and he was awarded theMBE in 1996.

• Professor Lola YoungProfessor Young was Head of Culture at theGreater London Authority from 2002 toearlier this year. She was responsible for thedevelopment of the Mayor’s draft CultureStrategy and the delivery of an events

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programme for London. She also developeda number of strategic initiatives, developingrelationships with external agencies in orderto deliver a range of programmes to enhanceculture in London.

Professor Young’s career as an academic hasbeen notable for her rapid rise from lecturerto professor, and for the extent of peerrecognition for her achievements. She haspublished over 25 articles and essays,encompassing academic literature andarticles in national newspapers. She hasmade numerous other contributions to booksand at conferences. She has been a memberof several Quality Assurance Agency subjectreviews as a specialist assessor, and was amember of a Research AssessmentExercise panel.

Professor Young’s previous publicappointments and responsibilities haveincluded membership of the boards of theRoyal National Theatre and Resource (theCouncil of Museums, Archives and Libraries).She is Chair of the Arts Council’s CulturalDiversity Panel. She is currently a member ofthe South Bank Centre board and Chair of theBritish Council’s Arts Advisory Committee.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Artsand was awarded an OBE in 2001.

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SECTION 3:

VETTING

The role of the AppointmentsCommission

42. As well as making recommendations for non-party-political peerages, the Prime Ministerasks the Commission to vet all nominations forpeerages – including those of the politicalparties – for propriety.

43. The Commission plays no part in assessing thesuitability of those nominated by the politicalparties, that being a matter for the partiesthemselves. Its role is simply to advise thePrime Minister if it has any concerns about thepropriety of a nominee.

Information given by thenominee

44. The Commission requires individuals beingproposed for an appointment to the House ofLords to declare whether they:

• are resident in the UK and intend to remainso, and are also resident for tax purposes;

• are involved in any roles, positions oractivities or have any interests that wouldconflict with their membership of the Houseof Lords; and

• have made any donations to a political partyin the last five years which were declarableto the Electoral Commission (or would havebeen if it had been in existence).

Information given by thepolitical parties

45. The political parties provide theCommission with:

• a certificate from the Chief Whip confirmingthat no significant donation has been madeor an assurance that any donation was notrelated to the proposed nomination; and

• a citation from the party leader giving thereason for the nomination.

Propriety checks

46. All nominees are asked to give their consent tothe necessary checks made by the Commission.These include checking with relevant parts ofgovernment and the Electoral Commission.

47. Taking all the evidence into account, theCommission will either advise the PrimeMinister that it sees no reason why anappointment should not be made, or drawany concerns to his attention. The Commissiondoes not have a right of veto; the PrimeMinister decides whether or not torecommend an individual to Her MajestyThe Queen for appointment.

Donations to a political party

48. A particular issue arises in relation tonominations by a political party if theindividual being nominated has made asignificant donation to that party. TheCommission shares the view of the PoliticalHonours Scrutiny Committee – previouslyresponsible for vetting nominations forpeerages – and the Committee on Standards inPublic Life that nominees should not beprevented from receiving an honour becausethey have made political donations.

49. However, the Commission must satisfy itselfthat the person would be a credible nominee

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irrespective of any payments made to apolitical party or cause. The Commission maytherefore seek further information from thenominating party or from the nominee.

50. A list of the members of the House of Lordsthat the Commission vetted is included atAppendix C.

51. The Commission is currently reviewing thevetting process to consider how it might beenhanced in the future.

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APPENDICES

Public Service Values

1. Members of the House of Lords AppointmentsCommission will at all times observe thehighest standards of impartiality, integrity andobjectivity in their consideration of all thosenominated for life peerages and in theirrecommendations for non-party-politicalindependent peerages.

2. The Commission is committed to an open andtransparent nomination and assessmentprocess whilst treating information providedby nominees in confidence except whereconsent has been given for this to be released.

Standards in Public Life

3. All members will:

• follow the Seven Principles of Public Life setout by the Committee on Standards in PublicLife (see page 18);

• comply with the Commission’s Code ofPractice and ensure they understand theirduties, rights and responsibilities, and arefamiliar with the functions and role of theCommission and any relevant statements ofGovernment policy; and

• not misuse information gained in the courseof their public service for personal gain or forpolitical purpose, nor seek to use theopportunity of public service to promotetheir private interests or those of connectedpersons, firms, businesses or otherorganisations.

Role of Commission Members

4. Members have collective responsibility and will:

• engage fully in the collective discharge oftheir functions and responsibilities, takinginto account all relevant factors andinformation;

• operate processes that are open andtransparent, regularly placing in the publicdomain information about the Commission’sactivities, and agree an annual report, whichwill be published; and

• respond appropriately to complaints.

5. As the independent members of theCommission are required to be politicallyimpartial in their role, they will declare anyparty-political activity they undertake whilstserving on the Commission. Such activity willbe made public.

6. All members will discuss with the Chairman anyoffers of other appointments which theyreceive whilst serving on the Commission orshortly after stepping down which might raisea question about their independence orimpartiality as a member of the Commission.The Chairman will consult with Commissionmembers about any similar offers ofappointment he may receive.

Role of the Chairman

7. The Chairman has a particular responsibility forproviding effective leadership and isresponsible for:

• ensuring that the Commission meets atappropriate intervals and that the minutes ofmeetings accurately record the decisionstaken and, where appropriate, the views ofindividual members; and

• representing the views of the Commission tothe general public and others.

Members’ Interests

8. The Commission is aware that public scrutinywill rightly focus on members’ direct or indirectinterests that may or could be perceived toinfluence their judgement. It is committed toarrangements that will make clear suchinterests to the public and which set out howthe Commission will ensure fairness in making

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Appendix A: House of Lords AppointmentsCommission: Code of Practice

its recommendations for life peers. TheCommission will undertake to do this throughtwo mechanisms, which may be amended inthe light of the Commission’s experience.

I: Register of Interests9. Members will register relevant interests in the

Commission’s Register of Interests. These are:

• remunerated interests;

• unremunerated interest;

• registered shareholdings (where these are1% or more of a company or have a value inexcess of £25,000);

• ownership of land and property; and

• party-political activity

10. In addition, the Commission has judged it rightto include in their Register of Interests those pastinterests that may be considered to be relevant,due to personal associations and friendships, andthe remunerated and unremunerated interestsof close members of their families. In thisparagraph, a ‘relevant’ interest (whether director indirect, pecuniary or non-pecuniary) meansany such interest that might influence thejudgement of a member or might be perceivedby others to influence his or her judgement inthe exercise of his or her public duties.

11. A copy of the Register of Interests may beobtained from the Commission’s office at35 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BQ.Telephone: 020 7276 2315. The Register is alsoavailable on the Commission’s website.

II: Declaration of Interests12. In addition, any direct or indirect personal

interest in relation to an individual nomineewill be declared by the member concerned andformally recorded in the minutes. Direct orindirect personal interests in relation tonominees may include where a member knowsa nominee:

• as someone with whom the member has, orhas had – or in his/her judgement couldconceivably have – business or professionaldealings;

• as a friend or relation; and/or

• as an acquaintance, whether through theirpersonal, business or professional life.

It will be for the member concerned to judgethe degree of the relationship with thenominee. Where there is any doubt, themember will set out in his/her declaration theterms or circumstances of the relationship.

13. Where a member can reasonably be expected tobe aware of similar relationships held by closefamily members, he or she will declare these.

14. A declaration will include a statement as toany gifts or hospitality received by the memberconcerned from the nominee.

15. Following the declaration of a personalinterest in relation to a nominee, theCommission will decide, in the light of thenature of the relationship, if the memberconcerned is to be asked to withdraw from anydecision about the nominee. Withdrawal of amember will be recorded in the minutes.

16. The Commission’s secretariat and any agentsacting on behalf of the Commission will followthe same practice.

Personal Liability of CommissionMembers

17. Legal proceedings against individual membersof advisory bodies are very exceptional.However, a member may be personally liable ifhe or she makes a fraudulent or negligentstatement that results in a loss to a third partyor if he or she misuses information gainedthrough their position. The Government hasindicated that individual members who haveacted honestly, reasonably, and in good faithand without negligence will not have to meet,out of their own personal resources, anypersonal civil liability which is incurred inexecution or purported execution of theCommission’s functions.

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The Seven Principles of Public Life

The following are the general principles ofconduct which underpin public life. They comedirectly from the First Report of the Committeeon Standards in Public Life (Nolan: First Report,May 1995).

SelflessnessHolders of public office should take decisionssolely in terms of the public interest. They shouldnot do so in order to gain financial or othermaterial benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.

IntegrityHolders of public office should not placethemselves under any financial or otherobligation to outside individuals or organisationsthat might seek to influence them in theperformance of their official duties.

ObjectivityIn carrying out public business, including makingpublic appointments, awarding contracts, or

recommending individuals for awards andbenefits, holders of public office should makechoices on merit.

AccountabilityHolders of public office are accountable for theirdecisions and actions to the public and mustsubmit themselves to whatever scrutiny isappropriate to their office.

OpennessHolders of public office should be as open aspossible about all the decisions and actions thatthey take. They should give reasons for theirdecisions and restrict information only when thewider public interest clearly demands.

HonestyHolders of public office have a duty to declareany private interests relating to their publicduties and to take steps to resolve any conflictsarising in a way that protects the public interest.

LeadershipHolders of public office should promoteand support these principles by leadershipand example.

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Appendix B: Breakdown ofnominations considered

Commission’s Commission’ssecond list (2004) first list (2001) UK population1

Total 569 3,166 58,789,194

GenderMen 82% 81% 49%Women 18% 19% 51%

Ethnic originWhite 83% 85% 92%Asian 11% 10% 5%Black 5% 3% 2%Other 1% 2% 1%

DisabilityConsider themselvesdisabled 13% 15% N/A2

NationalityBritish 96% 98% N/AIrish 1% 1% N/ACommonwealth 3% 1% N/A

Age60 and under 44% 61% 79%Over 60 56% 39% 21%

Regional background3

South West 7% 9% 8%South East 18% 18% 14%East Anglia 7% 6% 9%London 32% 27% 12%East Midlands 4% 6% 7%West Midlands 6% 6% 9%Wales 3% 4% 5%North West 8% 9% 11%Yorkshire and Humber 4% 4% 8%North East 3% 3% 4%Scotland 4% 5% 9%Northern Ireland 3% 2% 4%Other 1% 1% N/A

Notes:

1. The UK population figures are from the 2001 Census.

2. For the 2001 Census, the Office for National Statistics did not collate information on disability in the same form as theCommission.

3. The regional background of nominees is taken from the address in the nomination form. The Commission recognises that thefigures for some regions might be overstated since people living in one region might regard their regional background as beingelsewhere in the UK.

Sir David Alliance CBE

Professor Sir (Sushantha) Kumar Bhattacharyya CBE

Jane Bonham Carter

The Lord Boyce GCB OBE

Professor Sir Alec (Nigel) Broers

Sir Ewen (James Hanning) Cameron DL

Patrick Robert Carter

Nicola Jane Chapman

The Rt Hon Lord Cullen of Whitekirk

Paul Rudd Drayson

Dr Frances Gertrude Claire D’Souza CMG

Hugh John Maxwell Dykes

Kishwer Falkner

Air Marshal Sir Timothy Garden KCB

The Rt Hon Sir Edward (Alan John) George

Professor Anthony Giddens

Philip Gould

The Reverend Dr Leslie John Griffiths

Garry Richard Rushby Hart

Dr Edward Haughey OBE JP

Alan Robert Haworth

Dr Ruth Beatrice Henig CBE JP DL

Councillor Greville Patrick Charles Howard

The Lord Kalms of Edgware

Sir John (Olav) Kerr GCMG

Irvine Alan Stewart Laidlaw

Alexander Park Leitch

John Alston Maxton

Margaret Josephine McDonagh

William David McKenzie

Delyth Jane Morgan

Patricia Morris OBE

Professor Elaine Murphy

Rabbi Dame Julia (Babette Sarah) Neuberger DBE

Margaret Theresa Prosser OBE

Dr Diljit Singh Rana MBE

The Reverend John Roger Roberts

Richard Andrew Rosser JP

Edward Rowlands CBE

Janet Anne Royall

Peter Charles Snape

Leonard Steinberg

Dr Peter Derek Truscott

Denis Tunnicliffe CBE

Sir Iain (David Thomas) Vallance

Margaret Mary Wall

Professor Lola Young OBE

Sir Anthony (Ian) Young

*Announced on 1 May 2004

20

Appendix C: Members and prospectivemembers* of the House of Lords who

were vetted by the Appointments Commission

HOUSE OF LORDS APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION

35 Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BQTelephone: 020 7276 2005Facsimile: 020 7276 2109E-mail: lordsappointments@gtnet.gov.ukInternet: www.lordsappointments.gov.uk

Publication date: September 2004

© Crown copyright 2004

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