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21 Oct 2002 : Column 70Wcontinued
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the process by which (a) chairmen and (b) members of regional development agencies are appointed. [75238]
Alan Johnson: The process for appointing both the Regional Development Agency Chairs and Board Members is run according to the Code of Practice issued by the Office for the Commissioner of Public Appointments (OCPA).
21 Oct 2002 : Column 71W
Appointments are made on merit, following open competition, application and formal interviews. Each applicant is assessed against the selection criteria, as set out in the person specification for the post. Some candidates for the RDA Chair positions were identified through executive search. These candidates went through the same process (including interviews) and were assessed on the same criteria as candidates who responded to the advertisement.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the members of each regional development agency stating for each member the (a) date of, (b) length of, their appointment and (c) their qualifications for the job. [75237]
Ms Hewitt: The dates of appointment for current Regional Development Agency (RDA) board members are detailed in the table below.
The Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 states that in appointing members to the RDA Boards, ''the Secretary of State shall have regard to the desirability of appointing a person who has experience of, and has shown capacity in, some matter relevant to the functions of the agency.''
Board members' backgrounds include trade unions, the voluntary sector and rural interests; and at least half the members have current or recent business experience. On each RDA board, four of the board members are drawn from local government.
Before being appointed to the boards, potential board members are assessed against the criteria set out in the person specification for the posts.
21 Oct 2002 : Column 73W
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the known political affiliations of members of the regional development agencies, stating whether she and her predecessors (a) had this information at the time of appointment of and (b) took account of the information when making the appointment. [75235]
Ms Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 8 July 2002, Official Report, column 674W, which listed the political affiliation of Regional Development Agency (RDA) board members as declared under the Office for the Commissioner of Public Appointments (OCPA) Code of Practice.
This information is required under the OCPA code as part of the application process for all public appointments. It is not part of the information used when deciding whom to appoint. The exception to this is the four local authority posts on each RDA board. Information on political affiliation is taken into account by Ministers making these appointments, as the aim is for RDA boards to reflect generally the political make up of their region. However, even for local authority appointments, political balance is a secondary consideration to the overriding principle of appointment on merit.
21 Oct 2002 : Column 74W
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the number of applicants for each vacancy for membership of the regional development agencies. [75236]
Ms Hewitt: Information on the current appointments process for RDA board members (outside London) is set out in the table below.
RDA | Post | Number of Applications(8) |
---|---|---|
AWM | Business | 34 |
Local Authority(9) | 13 | |
Multiple(10) | 2 | |
NWDA | Business(11) | 52 |
Local Authority | 13 | |
Voluntary Sector(11) | 22 | |
Multiple(10) | 1 | |
EMDA | Local Authority | 12 |
Trade Union | 3 | |
Business(12) | 7 | |
Higher/Further | ||
Education(12) | 1 | |
Multiple(10) | 2 | |
SEEDA | Business(9) | 59 |
Local Authority(9) | 33 | |
Rural | 6 | |
Voluntary Sector(12) | 1 | |
Social Enterprise(12) | 2 | |
Higher/Further | ||
Education(12) | 1 | |
Multiple(10) | 2 | |
Yorkshire Forward | Business(13) | 37 |
Higher/Further | ||
Education(12) | 3 | |
Local Authority(12) | 3 | |
Rural(13) | 4 | |
Multiple(10) | 4 | |
ONE | Business(9) | 33 |
Local Authority | 24 | |
Trade Union | 7 | |
Multiple(10) | 1 | |
EEDA | Business | 42 |
Local Authority(9) | 15 | |
Trade Union(12) | 1 | |
Multiple(10) | 3 | |
SWRDA | Business | 51 |
Higher Education | 12 | |
Local Authority | 23 | |
Social Enterprise | 15 | |
Trade Union(12) | 1 | |
Voluntary Sector(12) | 2 | |
Multiple(10) | 5 |
Notes:
(8) Some candidates applied for posts in more than one region.
(9) 2 posts.
(10) Applicant claimed primary experience in more than one sector.
(11) NWDA needs 1 business person and 1 either business or voluntary sector.
(12) No vacancy in this field on this board.
(13) Yorkshire Forward needs 2 business people, ideally 1 with a strong link to the rural economy.
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