Appointment: Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life
The Prime Minister has appointed Lord Bew as Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
The appointment will be for a single non-renewable term of 5 years.
The Prime Minister said:
I am pleased to appoint Lord Bew to this role. He will bring wide experience and intellectual rigour to the role of Chairman.
Lord Bew will replace David Prince CBE who has been Interim Chairman of the Committee since 1 April 2013. The Prime Minister is very grateful to David Prince for stepping in to lead the committee during this interim period.
Notes to editors
The appointment is for 5 years and will be effective from 1 September 2013.
The new Chairman will be paid on the basis of a non-pensionable salary of £500 per day, with the chair being expected to commit an average of 2 to 3 days a month, although this can increase significantly during inquiries.
Lord Bew
Lord Bew has been Professor of Irish Politics at Queen’s University Belfast since 1991. He was heavily involved in the process which led to the Good Friday Agreement and has been a crossbencher in the House of Lords since 2007.
In 2010 to 2011 Lord Bew chaired the Independent Review of Key Stage 2 (SATs) assessment and he has also served on 3 Select Committees, including on Parliamentary Privilege, and Defamation law reform. Lord Bew has published extensively on Irish issues.
Lord Bew has declared no political activity. He will take up post on 1 September 2013.
The appointment process for this appointment was fully in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice.
The Public Administration Select Committee held a pre-appointment hearing on 11 July 2013, and has published a report today on the appointment which says:
We are satisfied that Lord Bew has both the professional competences and personal independence necessary to fulfil this role. We wish him every success as the Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
Further information
The Committee on Standards in Public Life is an Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) sponsored by the Cabinet Office. The Chair and Members are appointed by the Prime Minister. The Committee was established in October 1994. Additional information about the committee and its work is available on the Committee on Standards in Public Life website.