HOUSE OF LORDSAPPOINTMENTS

COMMISSION

ANNUAL REPORT2006/07

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.uk

E-mail: enquiry@lordsappointments.x.gsi.gov.uk

The Rt Hon Tony Blair MPPrime Minister10 Downing StreetLondonSW1A 2AA

June 2007

Fourth Annual Report

I enclose the fourth Annual Report of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

During the period of the report, the Commission has made 13 recommendations for non-party-politicalmembership of the House of Lords. We look forward to making further recommendations later in the year.

We would particularly like to draw your attention to the issue of the residency of nominees and theparticular case we outline in paragraphs 57 to 58. As you are aware, the Commission has always requiredthat nominees to the House of Lords must be resident in the UK for tax purposes. Following a review of ourprocesses in 2005, we will not vet nominees who are not resident in the UK for tax purposes; nomineesneed to be UK resident and paying UK taxes before the Commission will consider their nomination.

Dennis Stevenson

Enc.

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

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

Section 1: The Appointments Commission 1

Section 2: Appointments 5

Section 3: Vetting 15

Appendix A: Party-political nominee’s consent form 20

Appendix B: Model party chairman’s certificate 22

SECTION 1:

THE APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION

1. In May 2000 the Prime Minister established theHouse of Lords Appointments Commission.

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

Members of the Commission

3. The Commission has six members, including theChairman. Three members were appointed torepresent the main political parties and toensure that the Commission had expertknowledge of the House of Lords. The others,including the Chairman, are independent ofgovernment and political parties.

4. The Commission was reappointed for a further18 months from January 2007. Theappointments were made in accordance withthe code of practice of the Commissioner forPublic Appointments and the membership ofthe Commission was unchanged.

5. The members of the Commission are:

• Lord (Dennis) Stevenson ofCoddenham CBE, a cross-benchpeer, and Chairman of theCommission. He is Chairman of HBOS plc and AldeburghMusic Ltd.

6. The two other non-party-political members are:

• Mrs Felicity Huston, a taxconsultant, is the Commissionerfor Public Appointments forNorthern Ireland. She is also a Non-Executive Director ofNorthern Ireland Energy

Holdings and its group companies. She is aTrustee of Assisi Animal Sanctuary and aGeneral Commissioner of Income Tax.

• Ms Angela Sarkis CBE, NationalSecretary of the YMCA Englandsince August 2006. Prior to thisshe was an independentmanagement consultant. Shewas Chief Executive of the

Church Urban Fund between 1996 and 2001,having previously worked in the ProbationService. She was also a Governor of the BBCuntil October 2006 and a Non-ExecutiveDirector of the National OffenderManagement Board until September 2005.

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

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

• The Rt Hon Baroness (Brenda)Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde(Labour), Chairman of CoventGarden Market Authority,Trustee of the Industry andParliament Trust and of the East

Foundation. She is also a Non-ExecutiveDirector of George Wimpey plc and DawsonHoldings plc. She was appointed a PartnershipDirector of National Air Traffic Control Servicesin July 2006.

• Lord (Navnit) Dholakia OBE DL(Liberal Democrat), DeputyLeader of the Liberal Democratsin the Lords, President of Nacro,Vice-Chairman of the PolicyResearch Institute on Ageing

and Ethnicity, and Vice-President of the MentalHealth Foundation. He previously heldappointments with the Commission for RacialEquality and the Police Complaints Authority.

• The Rt Hon Lord (Douglas) Hurdof Westwell CH CBE(Conservative), DeputyChairman of Coutts & Co andHonorary President of thePrison Reform Trust. He was

Foreign Secretary between 1989 and 1995 andpreviously served as Home Secretary andNorthern Ireland Secretary.

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

Role of the House of LordsAppointments Commission

9. The role of the Commission is:

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

• to vet all recommendations for appointmentsto the House of Lords, including those putforward by the political parties, forpropriety; and

• to vet certain candidates added to theHonours Lists.

Recommendations of independent peers10. The Commission recommends individuals for

non-party-political membership of the Houseof Lords based on their merit and ability tocontribute effectively to the work of theHouse. The Commission has been asked toconsider nominees who would broaden theexpertise and experience of the House andreflect the diversity of the people of the UK.The Commission must ensure that individuals it recommends have independence, integrityand a commitment to the highest standards of public life.

11. The Prime Minister decides the number ofrecommendations to be invited from theCommission. He has said that he will onlydecline to pass on a recommendation to Her Majesty The Queen in exceptionalcircumstances.

12. The Prime Minister has reserved the right tonominate directly to The Queen a limitednumber of distinguished public servants ontheir retirement for non-party-politicalpeerages. The Prime Minister has decided thatthe number of appointments covered underthis arrangement will not exceed ten in anyone Parliament. The AppointmentsCommission vets any such nominees. Duringthe year, the Prime Minister nominated threeindividuals under his reserved power: The RtReverend Richard Harries, Sir Michael Jay andSir Michael Walker.

Vetting13. The Commission is responsible for vetting

nominations for life peerages and certainadditions to the Honours List.

14. The Commission’s role in vetting nominationsfor life peerages is to ensure that nomineeshave upheld the highest standards ofpropriety. Its remit does not extend to LawLords, bishops or those individuals who areappointed to the House of Lords to take onministerial responsibility.

15. The Commission is also responsible forscrutinising a number of categories of namesput forward for honours. The Commission’srole is not to comment on the merits of an

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award; it is only concerned with the proprietyof the individual recommended for an award.

16. The Commission’s vetting role is discussed inmore detail in section three of this report.

Police inquiry

17. The Commission has provided a statement andevidence to the Metropolitan Police in itsinquiry into the allegations about the 2005/06party-political list.

18. The Commission awaits the outcome of thepolice inquiry to see if there are any areas inwhich its vetting process could be improved.

Public Administration SelectCommittee

19. In May 2006, the Commission gave evidence tothe Public Administration Select Committee inrelation to its inquiry into ethics and standardsin public life. A transcript of the Commission’s(and others’) evidence, as well as theCommittee’s report Propriety and Honours:Interim Findings, are available on theCommittee’s pages at www.parliament.uk.

Reform of the House of Lords

20. In January 2007, the Commission gave evidenceto the Leader of the House of Commons’ cross-party group on reform of the House of Lords.The Government published a White Paper, The House of Lords: Reform on 7 February, and debates and a free vote took place in both Houses in the same month.

21. The Commission has been asked by the PrimeMinister to carry on its tasks of recommendingnon-party-political peers and vetting allnominees while talks on the future of theHouse of Lords continue.

The Commission’s expenditure

22. The Commission’s expenditure for the financialyear was £125,000.

23. The major element of expenditure was staffcosts, at £97,000. The remainder of theexpenditure was for other administration costs.These included Commission members’ fees,travel and subsistence, staff training,publications and stationery.

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SECTION 2:

APPOINTMENTS

Introduction

24. During 2006/07, the Commission recommended13 individuals for non-party-political peerages.

25. The Commission has, to date, recommended a total of 42 people for appointment to theHouse of Lords.

Nominations

26. The Commission received 110 new nominationsduring the period.

27. All nominees completed a standardnomination form which asked them to giveevidence that they met the selection criteria.The criteria are published in the Commission’sinformation pack and on its website; 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 andsignificant contribution to the work of theHouse of Lords;

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

• 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.

Considering nominations

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

29. The Commission is still assessing nominationsreceived after 31 August 2006. Thesenominations will be considered for futureappointments, alongside any nominations theCommission has decided to retain fromprevious rounds.

The assessment process

30. The Commission’s recommendations forappointment are made on the basis ofindividual merit and the ability to make aneffective contribution to the work of the Houseof Lords. The process is summarised below.

Stage 131. Before the assessment begins, a number of

objective checks on eligibility are made. Forexample, it is a statutory requirement thatappointees to the Lords be UK, Commonwealthor Irish nationals, aged over 21.

Stage 232. The Commission’s Secretariat carries out the

first sift. Each team member makes an initialassessment of the nomination against thepublished criteria. The team then discussestheir separate assessments and agree a finalrecommendation, which it puts to theCommission. Where the team is unable toagree, the nomination is referred to acommittee of no fewer than two Commissionmembers to make the judgement.

Stage 333. A sub-committee of the Commission meets to

agree the Secretariat’s recommendations. Thesub-committee considers all the nominationsand ensures that the assessments are consistentwith the selection criteria.

Stage 434. The Commission interviews the nominees it

judges best meet the published criteria. Two of the Commission members, including theChairman, meet each interviewee. The sameformat is used for every interview. At this stagereferences are taken up.

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Stage 535. Following the interviews, the Commission

reviews all the information about theshortlisted nominees before drawing up its final list of recommendations.

Prior knowledge of nominees 36. The Commission’s Code of Practice – which is

published on its website – sets out theprocedures for members to declare theiracquaintance or friendship with nominees. The Commission places great importance ondeclaring even the slightest acquaintance with a nominee.

37. At the first sifting stage, the acquaintance ofCommission members with any of thenominees is recorded. At the later stages,detailed declarations are completed and theseare made available to all members.

Recommendations forappointment to the House of Lords

38. During 2006/07, 13 recommendations forappointment were made: seven in May 2006and six in February 2007.

39. The 13 nominees put forward by theCommission were, in alphabetical order (pleasenote that the biographies are accurate as ofthe date of appointment):

• Mr Paul BewMr Bew has been Professor of Irish Politicsat Queen’s University, Belfast since 1991and is a leading commentator on NorthernIrish politics.

Mr Bew began his career lecturing at theSchool of Humanities at Ulster College in

1975. He continued as a lecturer at Queen’sUniversity, Belfast from 1979 to 1987 and wasa Reader at its Department of Politics from1987 to 1991. Other academic posts includedVisiting Lecturer to the University ofPennsylvania during the early 1980s and therole of Parnell Fellow at Magdalene College,Cambridge University, 1996/97. In 1997, hewas appointed Visiting Professor, SurreyUniversity and in 1999/2000 was a BurnsVisiting Scholar at Boston College.

As well as his academic work, Mr Bew is aleading commentator on Northern Irishpolitics, regularly speaking for the BBC,Ireland’s RTE and American channels. His active involvement on the executivecommittee of the British-Irish Association has made him familiar with key politiciansand enabled him to contribute to thedevelopment of the process that led to theBelfast Agreement of 1998.

Mr Bew’s media work also includes writingfor the main broadsheet newspapers and a spell as Northern Ireland editor ofParliamentary Brief. He is the author of manypublications about Ireland. He has alsowritten biographical studies of several Irishnationalist leaders such as Charles StewartParnell, John Redmond and Sean Lemass.

Mr Bew was elected to the Royal IrishAcademy in Dublin (2004); has served on theboard of the Centre for Contemporary BritishHistory; and gave extensive evidence to theHouse of Lords Select Committee on theInstitutional Aspects of Devolution.

• Mr Karan BilimoriaKaran Bilimoria is the founder and ChiefExecutive of Cobra Beer, which is one of thefastest growing beer brands in the UK. Prior to this, Mr Bilimoria was a CharteredAccountant at Ernst & Young. He graduatedin Law from Cambridge University and is aFellow of the Institute of CharteredAccountants in England and Wales.

Mr Bilimoria also has a number of current andprevious public appointments, includingmembership of the Government’s NationalEmployment Panel and the Chairmanship of itsSmall and Medium Enterprise Board. He is theUK Chairman of the Indo-British Partnership

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and is a member of the Chancellor’s Asia TaskForce. Mr Bilimoria is a Deputy Lieutenant ofGreater London and Chancellor of ThamesValley University. He is currently the youngestuniversity chancellor in the UK.

Mr Bilimoria has won a number of awardsincluding the Royal Society for theencouragement of Arts, Manufactures &Commerce’s Albert Medal in 2004; theLondon Chamber of Commerce and Industry’sBusiness Person of the Year Award 2004 andEntrepreneur of the Year 2003; the NationalBusiness Awards Entrepreneur of the YearAward, London and South East of England, in2004; and Entrepreneur of the Year 2003 atthe Asian Achievers Awards. He was awardedthe 2005 Outstanding Achievement Award ofthe Institute of Chartered Accountants inEngland and Wales.

He is a Visiting Entrepreneur at the Centre of Entrepreneurial Learning, CambridgeUniversity, and is a Guest Lecturer at theLondon Business School, Cranfield UniversitySchool of Management and the JudgeInstitute of Management at CambridgeUniversity. Mr Bilimoria is the NationalChampion of the National Council forGraduate Entrepreneurship.

Mr Bilimoria was awarded a CBE in 2004 forservices to business and employment.

• Dame Elizabeth Butler-SlossDame Elizabeth was President of the FamilyDivision of the High Court from 1999 to herretirement in 2005. She was called to the Barwhen she was 21 and continued to practiseuntil 1970. She sat as a Registrar in theFamily Division from 1970 to 1979 and thenas a High Court Judge until 1988. DameElizabeth then sat on the Court of Appealuntil her appointment as President in 1999.

Dame Elizabeth is about to retire after tenyears as the Chairman of the SecurityCommission, which, at the invitation of thePrime Minister, is the public body responsiblefor investigating and reporting on thecircumstances in which a breach of securityhas occurred in the public service, andadvising on whether any change in securityarrangements is necessary or desirable.

She was made a Fellow of King’s College,London in 1991, has been the Visitor toSt Hilda’s College, Oxford since 2001 andChancellor of the University of the West of England since 1993.

Previously, Dame Elizabeth served as theChairman of the Cleveland Child AbuseInquiry 1987/88. She was also the Chairmanof the Commission on the appointment ofthe Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002 andhas been the Chairman of the AdvisoryCouncil of St Paul’s Cathedral since 2000.

Dame Elizabeth was made a Dame of theBritish Empire in 1979 on her appointment asa High Court Judge and she was appointed amember of the Privy Council in 1988. She wasmade a Dame Grand Cross of the BritishEmpire in 2005 for services to the law.

• Dame Jane CampbellAs a disabled person, Dame Jane wasinstrumental in the disability movement ofthe 1980s and 90s and has drawn upon thatexperience to lead within the health andsocial care sector on matters of public andpatient choice and involvement.

She has been a Commissioner of the DisabilityRights Commission, since its inception in 2000.She was appointed as a member of theCommission for Equality and Human Rights(CEHR) in December 2006 and serves as Chairof the Disability Committee which will leadon the CEHR Disability Programme. From2001 until March 2006 she was the foundingChair of the Social Care Institute forExcellence where she achieved themainstreaming of service user involvementin the production and dissemination of socialcare knowledge and good practice.

Dame Jane established the National Centrefor Independent Living in 1996 and served asthe Co-Chief Executive until 2001. As Co-ChiefExecutive, she set up a national DirectPayments implementation plan and deliveredpolicy advice to the Department of Health ondirect social care policy and practice. Previousemployment covered a range of postsrelating to disability and equal opportunity.

Dame Jane has been involved in a number ofcampaigns, legislation and national

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programmes. From 1992 to 2000, she ledthecampaign for Community Care DirectPayments, working with politicians toformulate legislation and then establishing a national infrastructure for itsimplementation. As Chair of the BritishCouncil of Disabled People in the early 1990s,she formed Rights Now, a lobbying groupcovering 30 national disability organisations.She was then the ParliamentaryRepresentative of Rights Now until 2001. Shealso instigated Disability Equality Training,now established as a national programme.

In her advisory capacity, Dame Jane hasworked on the welfare reform Green Paper,the Mental Capacity Bill, Lord Joffe’s AssistedDying Bill, the health and social care WhitePaper, the Discrimination Act and theCommunity Care (Direct Payments) Act. Shecurrently serves on the Third Sector TaskForce and is advising on the setting up of theOffice for Disability Issues.

Dame Jane was awarded the DBE in 2006.

• Ms Jean CoussinsMs Coussins spent ten years, from 1996 untilSeptember 2006, as the Chief Executive ofThe Portman Group. The role involvedrepresenting the interests of leadingalcoholic drinks producers by developingsocial responsibility commitments across theindustry and promoting consumer educationon sensible drinking. As part of this,Ms Coussins successfully created aself-regulation system for the industry’smarketing standards; transformed theindustry’s negative profile to that of apartner in tackling misuse; and set up acharitable company (The Drinkaware Trust)to deliver educational resources.

Ms Coussins currently works as anindependent consultant, advising on issuessuch as corporate responsibility and self-regulation.

From 1988 to 1996, she worked for theCommission for Racial Equality, initially as theDirector of the Social Policy Division, then ofthe Equality Assurance Division. Herachievements led to changes in policy, lawand practices. She spent the earlier part ofher career working for the United Nations

Association, the National Council of CivilLiberties, the Child Poverty Action Group andthe Inner London Education Authority.

Ms Coussins holds a number of voluntary andpublic appointments. Since 2003, she hasbeen a Non-Executive Director of theAdvertising Standards Authority and morerecently a Commissioner on the BetterRegulation Commission. She is also a memberof the Alcohol Education and ResearchCouncil. Previous memberships include theScottish Ministerial Advisory Committee onAlcohol Problems, the Prime Minister’sStrategy Unit Advisory Group on AlcoholHarm Reduction, the British Board of FilmClassification, the Department of Health’sExpert Taskforce on Consumers and Marketsand the Department of Trade and Industry’sForesight Programme on Crime Prevention.

• Sir Geoffrey DearSir Geoffrey was HM Inspector ofConstabulary from 1990 to 1997. He hadresponsibility for the ten north-westernpolice forces, together with nationalresponsibilities including the police interfacewith the criminal justice system, drugs, crimeprevention and detection and criminal

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intelligence. He began his policing career in1953 as a Cadet in Peterborough, becoming aDeputy Assistant Commissioner and then anAssistant Commissioner in the MetropolitanPolice (1980–85) and the Chief Constable ofWest Midlands Police in 1985.

Sir Geoffrey has successfully led a number ofhigh-profile investigations; these haveincluded the Brixton riots in 1981, theshooting of Stephen Waldorf in 1983 and theHillsborough Stadium disaster in 1989. Hewas also a member of the Glidewell Reviewof the Crown Prosecution Service 1997/98,the Virdi Inquiry 2000/01 and an adviser to the Auld Review of the Criminal Courts in 2000. He has particular experience ofproblems in both the inner cities and rural communities.

Sir Geoffrey is currently Non-ExecutiveChairman of Skyguard Technologies Ltd,which specialises in technology for asset andpeople tracking; OmniPerception Ltd, aleading British facial biometrics andcomputer vision company; Key ForensicServices Ltd, which provides a wide range offorensic services to law enforcement agenciesand defence lawyers; and Action againstBusiness Crime Ltd, which is a joint initiativebetween the Home Office and British RetailConsortium to reduce crime againstbusinesses, employees and the public in cityand town centres. He was a Non-ExecutiveDirector of both Reliance Security ServicesLtd and Reliance Secure Task ManagementLtd between 1997 and 2005.

He has been awarded the Queen’sCommendation for Bravery in 1979 and theQueen’s Police Medal for DistinguishedService in 1981. He is currently DeputyLieutenant of Worcestershire and is a trusteeof several charities.

Sir Geoffrey was knighted in 1997 for servicesto policing.

• Dr Khalid HameedDr Hameed has been the Chairman of theCommonwealth Youth Exchange Councilsince 1997, putting forward new initiatives tohelp encourage the development of youngpeople and promote internationalunderstanding.

He was appointed by Her Majesty The Queenas High Sheriff of Greater London in March2006. He is also a Non-Executive Director ofthe Alpha Hospitals and served as ExecutiveDirector and Chief Executive at the CromwellHospital from 1990 to 2005.

Dr Hameed has worked overseas in order topromote British medicine and inform healthauthorities of advances in medical treatmentand research in the UK. He has also raisedfunds for a programme of UK medicalfellowships for junior doctors fromdeveloping countries, enabling them to taketheir skills back to their own country.

He is involved in a number of foundationswhich help develop harmony betweendiverse faiths and cultures in the UK.

He has been awarded national honours byfive countries, including the CBE in 2003.

• Professor Sir John KrebsSir John is the former Chairman of the FoodStandards Agency (2000–2005). The Agency’smain aim is to re-establish public confidencein the handling of food safety by theGovernment. During his time at the Agency,Sir John was responsible for leading itthrough its early years, establishing itsstrategic aims, core values and profile.

Sir John is currently Principal of JesusCollege, Oxford, having held a Royal SocietyResearch Professorship from 1988 to 2005.His early career was spent as a universitylecturer at British Columbia, Bangor andOxford teaching ecology and behaviour.He has also held numerous visitingprofessorships at leading US and Canadianuniversities.

In his research career, Sir John is known asone of the founders of a new field ofresearch, behavioural ecology, and he waselected as the first President of theInternational Society for Behavioural Ecology.He has co-written two books on the subjectas well as several hundred scientific papersand articles.

From 1994 to 1999 he served as ChiefExecutive of the Natural EnvironmentResearch Council, the major research bodyfor all aspects of the environment.

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He has received many awards for hisscientific work including Fellowship of theRoyal Society and the US National Academyof Sciences. He is a member of a range ofsocieties and serves on many committees. Heis also Chairman and co-founder of OxfordRisk Research and Analysis Ltd and chairedthe advisory committee for the developmentof a new GCSE curriculum, 21st CenturyScience.

• Professor Colin LowColin Low has been the Chairman of theRoyal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB)since 2000, having been a member of itsExecutive Council since 1975. He is also thePresident of the European Blind Union. He served on the Government’s DisabilityRights Task Force from 1997 to 1999 and the Disability Rights Commission from 2000to 2002.

Professor Low is currently Visiting Professorat the Rehabilitation Resource Centre, CityUniversity, London. Before this he wasDirector of the Disability Resource Team atthe Greater London Council and then theLondon Boroughs Disability Resource Teamfrom 1984 to 1994.

Professor Low has served on numerouscommittees, both statutory and voluntary,including OFTEL’s Advisory Committee onDisabled and Elderly People from 1988 to1995 and the Disability Benefits Consortiumfrom 1989 to 1993. He is a founder and Vice-President of both Skill (the National Bureaufor Students with Disabilities) and theDisability Alliance.

He was awarded a CBE in 2000 for services tothe RNIB and disabled people’s rights.

• Mr Andrew MawsonMr Mawson is a social entrepreneur, who hasplayed a significant role in neighbourhoodregeneration, particularly in east London. Hisinfluence has played an important part inestablishing social entrepreneurialism inBritain today and he is one of the leadingpractitioners of the social enterprisemovement.

Mr Mawson was the founder – and is nowPresident – of the renowned Bromley-by-BowCentre in Tower Hamlets. Over the past

24 years, under his guidance, the Bromley-by-Bow Centre has become the country’s firstHealthy Living Centre and a model forcommunity-based enterprise. The Bromley-by-Bow Centre has pioneered innovativemodels of public service in the fields ofnursery care, health, education andneighbourhood renewal. Mr Mawson hasspent over 20 years building an effective,integrated community project in one of themost diverse communities in Europe. He haswide experience of working with thebusiness, public and voluntary sectors.

Mr Mawson also co-founded and is Presidentof the Community Action Network (CAN).This national charity, founded in 1998,supports some 850 social entrepreneursacross the UK. CAN offers a diverse range ofservices, including the Mezzanine, whichprovides quality shared office space for 65charities on the south bank of the Thames.

In 1996, he took responsibility for StantonGuildhouse in the Cotswolds. This Grade IIlisted manor house has become a successfulnational training and conference centre anda sustainable social enterprise.

Mr Mawson has been a member of the PrimeMinister’s Delivery Unit and the HealthMinisterial Working Group on the NHS Plan.He is a founding member of Poplar HousingAnd Regeneration Community Association(a £200 million social housing company ineast London) and of Leaside RegenerationLtd, which runs a £100 million regenerationprogramme in the Lower Lea Valley in eastLondon. He received an OBE for his work in

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Tower Hamlets in the Millennium New Year’sHonours List.

Today, Mr Mawson concentrates on advisinga number of major regeneration projects. In particular in May 2006 he launched WaterCity. This is a plan to revitalise east Londonand a vehicle for the Olympic legacy, utilisingthe forgotten waterways of the area.

Mr Mawson has been a minister in theUnited Reformed Church since 1984.

• Ms Molly MeacherMolly Meacher was appointed as theChairman of the East London and CityMental Health Trust in 2004. She is alsoChairman of the Clinical Ethics Committee ofthe Central and North West London MentalHealth Trust. She had previously been a Non-Executive Director of Tower HamletsHealthcare Trust from 1994 to 1998 and wasa Mental Health Act Commissioner between1987 and 1992.

Ms Meacher was the Chairman of theSecurity Industry Authority between 2002and 2003, where she was responsible forestablishing the regulatory authority for theprivate security industry. She was also amember of the Police Complaints Authorityfrom 1994 to 2002; for the latter three yearsshe was Acting Chairman and DeputyChairman, with responsibility for supervisinginvestigations into complaints against seniorpolice officers.

Between 1991 and 1994, Ms Meacher wasChief Adviser to the Russian Government onthe development of the Federal EmploymentService. She was Chief Executive and founderof the Campaign for Work between 1987 and1992, which was the leading campaign andpolicy unit on unemployment in the 1980s.

She has been involved with a number ofother organisations including, for example,the Russian European Trust and the HomeOffice Advisory Forum on Police Surgeons,where she was Chairman.

• Professor Kamlesh PatelProfessor Patel is the Head of the Centre forEthnicity and Health at the University ofCentral Lancashire. Before this, he was aLecturer and Researcher at the University,

from 1995 to 1999. Between 2003 and 2004he was seconded to the National Institute forMental Health in England as NationalStrategic Director. Previously, Professor Patelwas a social worker in Bradford and Managerof The Bridge Project, which is a voluntarysector organisation that provides a range of facilities to drug users.

Professor Patel is the Chairman of the MentalHealth Act Commission. He has also served asthe National Director and Chairman of theMental Health Black and Minority EthnicProgramme Board since 2004, which isleading the Department of Health’s nationalprogramme in this area. He is also a Non-Executive Board Member of both theNational Treatment Agency, which is a specialhealth authority, and the Commission forHealthcare Audit and Inspection. He was amember of the Inquiry into Mental Healthand Wellbeing in Later Life and also of theDepartment of Health’s Mental HealthWorkforce Task Group.

He was, until recently, a trustee ofDrugScope, Lifeline and the UK branch of the Abaseen Foundation, Pakistan. He hasbeen Patron of the National Men’s HealthForum since 2003.

Professor Patel was awarded an OBE in 1999for services to ethnic minority health issues.

• Sir David Rowe-BeddoeSir David has been the Chairman of the WalesMillennium Centre in Cardiff since 2001.He oversaw its construction and developmentinto a world-class performing arts centre,which is now the home of the Welsh NationalOpera, the National Dance Company of Walesand other performing arts organisations.

He was previously Chairman of the WelshDevelopment Agency (WDA) from 1993 to2001, where he worked successfully tostimulate economic development in Wales by attracting inward investment, facilitatingindigenous business growth and encouraging investment in majorenvironmental programmes. He was alsoChairman of the Development Board forRural Wales from 1994 until its merger, which he led, with the WDA in 1998.

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Sir David has had a successful business careerwithin multinational companies. He workedfor the De La Rue Company for 15 years,becoming CEO of Thomas De La Rue in 1971.Between 1976 and 1981, he was Presidentand CEO of, first, Latin America and theCaribbean and then of Europe, the MiddleEast and Africa for Revlon Inc. He becamePresident of GFTA Trendanalysen in 1982 andwas President of Morgan Stanley-GFTA Ltdfrom 1983 to 1992. He is a Non-ExecutiveDirector of a number of companies.

Sir David is also Chairman or President of avariety of other bodies, including the RoyalWelsh College of Music and Drama, theRepresentative Body of the Church in Walesand the Cardiff Business Club. He is a Patronof The Prince’s Trust – Wales, and wasPresident until 2005 of both the WelshCentre for International Affairs and theLlangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.Sir David was appointed Deputy Lieutenantof Gwent in 2003.

He was knighted in 2000 for services toindustry and economic development in Wales.

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SECTION 3:

VETTING

The role of the AppointmentsCommission

40. The Commission vets nominations for peerages– including those by the political parties – for propriety.

41. The Commission takes the view that in thiscontext propriety means:

• first, the individual should be in goodstanding in the community in general andwith particular regard to the publicregulatory authorities; and

• second, the individual should be a crediblenominee. The Commission’s main criterion inassessing this is whether the appointmentwould enhance rather than diminish theworkings and the reputation of the House of Lords itself and the appointments system generally.

42. The Commission plays no part in selecting orassessing the suitability of those nominated bythe political parties, which is a matter for theparties themselves. It does not have a right ofveto over any party-political nominee and itdoes not decide whether or not individualsshould be recommended for appointment. Itsrole is to advise the Prime Minister if it has anyconcerns about the propriety of a nomination.

43. If a nominee has been the subject ofcontroversy, the Commission’s role necessarilyinvolves it in making judgements as to whetheror not the controversy is likely to affect his orher credibility and/or standing in thecommunity. It is not the Commission’s role tomake quasi-judicial judgements about thematters that gave rise to the controversy;

however, given its remit, the Commission hasto assess the likely effect of any controversy on the credibility of a nominee.

The vetting process

44. There is no standard timetable for the vettingprocess; the Commission takes as long as isnecessary for it to satisfy itself about thepropriety of all nominations.

45. The Commission asks for specific informationto be provided by both the political parties andthe nominees themselves (set out below).Nominees are also asked to consent to theCommission undertaking enquiries aboutthem.

46. The Commission requires individuals beingproposed for an appointment to the House of Lords to declare:

• that they are resident in the UK and intendto remain so, and are also UK resident for tax purposes;

• that they are not involved in any roles,positions or activities or have any intereststhat would conflict with their membership of the House of Lords;

• whether or not they have made anydonations, loans or credit arrangementsto or with a political party;

• whether they have a financial relationshipwith any senior party member; and

• that no close family member has a financialinvolvement with the party or any seniorparty member.

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Nominees are also invited to clarify any of theirstatements or draw the Commission’s attentionto any areas of doubt.

47. The party chairman provides a certificateconfirming whether or not a donation, loan orcredit arrangement has been made betweenthe nominee and the party. If a financialrelationship exists, the chairman will declarethe level of the donation and the date it wasmade or, with regard to loans and creditarrangements, the amount and terms of theagreement including interest rates andrepayment periods.

48. The party chairman will also confirm that therecommendation is not associated, directly orindirectly, with any contribution or expectationof contribution to the party, a political fund orsenior party members; that nominees areresident in the UK for tax purposes; and thatno close family members of the nominee havea financial relationship with the party or anysenior party member.

49. A citation from the party leader, giving thereason for the nomination, is also provided.

50. Blank copies of the nominee’s consent formand the model party chairman’s certificate canbe found at Appendices A and B respectively.

51. When it has received the required information,the Commission will begin its enquiries. Theseinclude checks with government departmentsand agencies, the Electoral Commission and amedia search.

52. Once it has gathered sufficient information,the Commission will meet to consider thepropriety of the nomination. On occasion,there may be a need to obtain furtherinformation either from the nominee, his orher party or one of the vetting authorities. Insuch instances the Commission will meet againto consider the nomination further.

53. Taking all the evidence into account, theCommission will either advise the PrimeMinister that it sees no reason why a party-political appointment should not be made, ordraw any concerns to his attention. The PrimeMinister decides whether or not to recommendan individual to Her Majesty The Queen for

appointment to the party benches; theCommission does not have a right of veto.

Donations to a political party

54. A particular issue arises in relation tonominations by a political party if theindividual being nominated has made adonation (or a series of donations), a loan ora credit arrangement to or with a party or a political cause. On the one hand, theCommission believes that nominees should notbe prevented from receiving a peerage justbecause they have made donations or loans.On the other, the making of a donation orloan to a political party cannot of itself be areason for a peerage.

55. Of central concern to the Commission,therefore, is the credibility of individuals whohave made significant political donations,loans or credit arrangements. The Commissionhas decided that the best way of addressingthis issue is to reach a view on whether or notthe individual could have been a crediblenominee if he or she had made no financialcontribution.

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Residency

56. The Commission looks at residency as part ofits vetting process. It has always consideredthat, as a matter of principle, individuals whoare appointed to the House of Lords shouldhave their main home in the UK so that theycan devote the time necessary to make anactive and effective contribution to the workof the House. Further, the Commission hasalways required that nominees must beresident in the UK for tax purposes.

57. During spring 2004, the Commission vetted alist of party-political nominees. One of theindividuals on the list, Irvine Laidlaw (now LordLaidlaw of Rothiemay), was not resident in theUK for tax purposes. Following an exchange ofcorrespondence and a face-to-face meeting,the Commission accepted an assurance fromLord Laidlaw that he would become resident inthe UK for tax purposes from April 2004. Onthe basis of this assurance the Commissionfound no objection to his appointment. TheCommission would have taken a different viewon Lord Laidlaw’s nomination if it had knownthat he would not be resident in the UK for taxpurposes from April 2004. In June 2004 he wasappointed to the House of Lords.

58. Lord Laidlaw has not become resident in theUK for tax purposes. The Commission hasdrawn the Prime Minister’s attention to the situation.

59. The Commission reviewed its policy onresidency in 2005 and now declines toscrutinise any nominee who is not resident inthe UK for tax purposes. It will continue to askall nominees, and the political parties thatnominate them, to confirm that they are andwill remain resident in the UK for tax purposes.

Vetting review

60. The Commission constantly seeks to improveits processes. During 2006/07, the Commissioncarried out a review of its vetting process andas a result it has revised its guidelines forchairmen’s certificates and nominees’ consentforms. The main change has been to make itabsolutely explicit that the Commission expectsto be told about any transaction orinvolvement which a reasonable individual

might think could have had an influence on a nomination to the peerage.

61. As previously mentioned, the Commissionawaits the outcome of the police inquiry intothe allegations about the 2005/06 party-political list to see if there are any furtherareas in which its vetting process can beimproved.

Honours scrutiny

62. The Commission is also responsible for vettingfor propriety certain categories of individualsbeing put forward for an honour. Thecategories are:

• individuals put forward by the politicalparties for political and public services;

• Members of Parliament who are being putforward for services to Parliament; and

• anyone added to the Honours List at a latestage, who would not therefore have beensubject to the normal assessment andselection process.

63. The Commission’s remit does not extend tocommenting upon the merits of an award. Its role is to advise the Prime Minister if thereis anything in the past history, currentcircumstances or general character of anindividual which might suggest that he or shewas not a fit and proper person to berecommended for an award.

64. The Commission was not invited to considerany nominees during 2006/07.

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APPENDIX A:Party-political nominee’s consent form

APPENDIX B:Model party chairman’s certificate

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Appendix A: Party-political nominee’s consent form

This form should be completed by those who arebeing nominated for a party-political life peerage.It asks you to confirm details about yourself andseeks your consent to the Commission makingenquiries about you.

The Commission’s role

The Commission has been asked by the PrimeMinister to vet all nominations for life peerages toensure that those recommended for appointmentmeet the highest standards of propriety. Furtherdetails of the Commission’s vetting process andcriteria are available on its website.

Completing the form

Although the form asks for information on specificmatters, such matters are not intended to beexhaustive. The Commission therefore expects tobe told about any transaction or involvement onyour part which a reasonable person might thinkwould be of relevance to a nomination to thepeerage. If you have any doubt at all aboutwhether or not to declare a matter, you shouldensure that the Commission is informed about it.

The Commission considers that individualsappointed to the House of Lords must have theirmain residence in the UK so that they are able tomake an effective contribution to the work of theHouse. They must also be resident in the UK for tax purposes (the Commission will decline to vetnominees who are not).

The Commission takes the view that past criminalconvictions will not automatically disqualifynominees. Nevertheless, you are requested toprovide details of any previous convictions,cautions or other similar matters that a reasonableperson might believe should be brought to theCommission’s attention.

You must declare any donation (both of money orin kind), loan or credit arrangement made with apolitical party (including parties other than the onethat has nominated you), whether or not thedonation, loan or credit arrangement was

declarable to the Electoral Commission. Thisrequirement covers all donations, loans or creditarrangements – regardless of when they weremade – whether given directly by yourself orindirectly, for example by a business or trust overwhich you exercise significant direction, or by atrade union of which you are or were an officeholder or major supporter. You must also declareany personal financial relationship between youand a senior member of a political party. Thiswould be an individual who has, or couldreasonably be expected to have, influence ordecision-making powers within the party.

Donations, loans and credit agreements made to orwith a political party by close family members, suchas your spouse or partner, should also be declared,as should any close personal financial relationshipbetween them and a senior member of a politicalparty.

Further enquiries

In carrying out its role, the Commission will makefurther enquiries. This may include enquiries ofgovernment departments and agencies, theElectoral Commission, current and formeremployers, and individuals or organisationssupporting the nomination. The Commission mayalso contact you about the nomination.

Confidentiality

Any information provided by you and anyinformation the Commission obtains in the courseof its further enquiries of other bodies will betreated as confidential.

If you have any questions about the form, pleasecall Jim Barron, the Secretary to the Commission,on 020 7276 2604.

STATEMENT TO BE COMPLETED BY NOMINEES

Please ensure you have read the guidance on the accompanying note before completing this form.

1. Statement of residency and tax residency“I am resident in the UK and intend to remain so. I am also resident in the UK for tax purposes andintend to remain so.”

2. Statement of propriety“As far as I am aware I am not, and have never been, involved in any roles, positions or activities, orhave or have had any interests that would be in conflict with my being a member of the House of Lordsor cast doubt on my ability to make an effective contribution to the work of the House.”

3. Statement of financial relationships (please delete as appropriate in all four sections)i. Either: “I have not made any donations to a political party nor entered into any loans or credit

arrangements, either directly or indirectly with a political party. I will inform the AppointmentsCommission of any donations, loans or credit arrangements made while my nomination remainsunder consideration.”

Or: “I have made the following donations to a political party and/or have entered into thefollowing loans or credit arrangements with a political party:

Date Party Amount Nature of transaction

I will inform the Appointments Commission of any further donations, loans or credit arrangementsmade while my nomination remains under consideration.”

ii. Either: “I can confirm that I have no personal financial relationship with any senior member of apolitical party.”

Or: “I have or have had a personal financial relationship with a senior member of a political party,which is set out below.”

iii. Either: “I confirm that I am not aware of any other financial relationship between myself and apolitical party.”

Or: “I have or have had the following financial relationship with a political party.”

iv. Either: “I can confirm that no close member of my family has made a donation to or entered into a loan or credit arrangement with a political party, or has or has had a close financial relationshipwith a senior member of a party.”

Or: “A close member of my family has made a donation to or entered into a loan or creditarrangement with a political party, or has or has had a close financial relationship with a seniormember of a party, as described below.”

4. Any other matters“I am not aware of any further matters that may reasonably be thought to have influenced mynomination or to affect the Commission’s judgement in its consideration of my nomination.”

5. Consent to further enquiries“I give my consent to the Appointments Commission making further enquiries in relation to my nomination.”

If you need to expand upon or clarify any of these statements or wish to draw the Commission’sattention to any additional areas that you reasonably consider could have an effect on theCommission’s consideration of your nomination, please do so on a separate sheet.

Signed: Home address:

Name (in full): Postcode:

Date: Telephone:

Date of birth: Place of birth:

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Introduction

1. The House of Lords Appointments Commissionis responsible for the vetting for propriety ofparty-political nominees to the House of Lords.To carry out this task, the Commission needsaccurate, detailed information from both thepolitical party and the nominee. TheCommission asks that the following documentsare completed for each nominee:

• a party chairman’s certificate;

• a detailed citation; and

• a nominee’s signed consent form.

Party chairman’s certificate

2. A separate certificate should be completed foreach nominee.

3. The party chairman’s certificate confirms thatall the necessary enquiries in connection to thenomination have been made. It also confirmsthat the nomination is not connected in anyway to a donation, loan or other financialarrangement between the individual and theparty. The model wording to be used in thecertificate is set out in annex A. Paragraphs 3and 4 of the certificate should not be altered;if the chairman cannot certify that thesestatements are true, the Commission willdecline to vet the nomination.

4. The Commission must be made aware of alldonations, loans and credit arrangementsmade to or with the party, whether or not such donations or loans were declarable to the Electoral Commission and regardless ofwhen they were made. This requirement covers all donations (in money or in kind),loans or credit arrangements whether givendirectly or indirectly, for example by a business or trust over which the nomineeexercises significant direction, or by a tradeunion of which the nominee was an officeholder or major supporter. Donations, loans

and credit agreements made by close familymembers should also be included.

5. The party chairman must confirm that thenomination is not connected to any past,current or future donation, loan or creditarrangement with the party. The chairmanmust also confirm that the nomination is not in any way related to a past, current or futurefinancial relationship between the nomineeand a senior party member. A senior partymember would be an individual who has, orcould be expected to have, influence ordecision-making powers within the party.

6. Where donations, loans or credit arrangementshave been made, either directly or indirectly,an annex should be attached to the certificateindicating their value and, in relation to loansand credit arrangements, the terms of theagreement including interest rates andrepayment periods. In instances where adonation has been made in kind, an estimatedvalue of the donation should be given. Wheredonations have been made indirectly, detailsshould be provided of the nominee’srelationship with the person or body thatmade the donation.

7. Where a financial relationship exists betweenthe nominee and a senior party member, anannex should be provided outlining the natureof the relationship and level of anyremuneration/financial support. An example of a financial relationship may include theemployment of a senior party member by a company where the nominee would beexpected to exercise significant direction.

8. The Commission also expects the party toensure that the nominee is resident in the UKfor tax purposes and that he or she intends toremain so. The Commission will decline to vetany nominee who is not currently resident inthe UK for tax purposes.

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Appendix B: Model party chairman’s certificate

Citation

9. The citation should be a detailed account ofwhy the party is putting forward the nomineefor a peerage. This information is particularlyimportant for those nominees who have beenlarge donors or lenders to the party.

Nominee’s consent form

10. The nominee signs a consent form whichauthorises the Commission to make enquiriesin relation to the nomination. The form alsoasks nominees to provide informationregarding donations, loans, creditarrangements and relationships with seniorparty members. It asks them to confirm thatthey are resident in the UK for tax purposesand that they intend to remain so.

Further enquiries

11. While the Commission hopes that the detailedinformation it has requested will be sufficientfor its purpose, it may from time to time wishto discuss aspects of the nomination witheither party officials or the nominee.

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PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE READ THE ACCOMPANYING GUIDANCE BEFORE COMPLETING THE CERTIFICATE.

The conditions set out in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the certificate must be met for each nominee. If they arenot, the Commission will decline to vet the nomination.

Model wording if nothing to declare

Name of nominee:

I have carried out all the necessary enquiries in connection with the recommendation and I can certify as faras I am aware from the result of those enquiries that:

1. The individual has not made a donation or loan to, or entered into a credit arrangement with, theparty or a political fund. This includes both direct and indirect donations. No close family member ofthe nominee has entered into such a transaction.

2. There is no financial relationship between the nominee or a close member of his or her family and anysenior party member.

3. The recommendation is not connected, directly or indirectly, with any donation, loan or creditarrangement, or the expectation of such with the party, a political fund or senior party members.

4. The nominee is resident in the UK for tax purposes and intends to remain so.

Alternative wording for paragraph 1 if there has been a donation/loan/credit arrangement:

1. The individual (or a close member of his or her family) has made a donation, loan or creditarrangement, either directly or indirectly, to the party or a political fund. The nature and level of thiscontribution and the terms of any loans or credit arrangements are set out in the attached annex.

Alternative wording for paragraph 2 if there has been a financial relationship with a senior party member:

2. There is a financial relationship between the nominee (or a close member of his or her family) and asenior party member. The nature of this relationship is set out in the attached annex.

Signed: Party Chairman

Date:

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Annex A

Model wording for party chairman’s certificate

HOUSE OF LORDS APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION

35 Great Smith StreetLondon SW1P 3BQTelephone: 020 7276 2005Facsimile: 020 7276 2109E-mail: enquiry@lordsappointments.x.gsi.gov.ukInternet: www.lordsappointments.gov.uk

Publication date: June 2007

© Crown copyright 2007

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