64/04

8 July 2004

NEW VICE CHAIR AND COMMISSIONER OF THE STATISTICS COMMISSION APPOINTED

Ruth Kelly, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, has today appointed Derek Wanless to the new position of vice chairman of the Statistics Commission and Ian Beesley as commissioner.

Commenting on the appointments, Ruth Kelly said:

“I warmly welcome these appointments. Derek Wanless has already made a significant contribution to the work of the Commission and I am sure he will build on this in his new role. Ian Beesley brings a wealth of both public and private sector experience to the post which I am sure will be of great benefit to the Commission.”

Derek Wanless has been appointed on the recommendation of the Committee’s Chair and in accordance with the Commission’s internal procedures. Ian Beesley’s appointment was made following an open competition and selection process in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

All appointments are made on the basis of merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointee’s political activity to be made public. Neither appointee has declared political activity.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Derek Wanless is a director of Northern Rock plc, Northumbrian Water Group plc and Business in the Community, and a Trustee of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. In 2002 he reported on UK health services to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and, in 2004, on Public Health to the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Secretary of State for Health. He has also advised the Welsh Assembly Government. He worked for NatWest Bank for 30 years and was its Group Chief Executive for seven years. He has an MA in Mathematics from Cambridge University and qualified as a Member of the Institute of Statisticians (MIS).

2. Ian Beesley is a retired senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers who now runs his own strategy consultancy. He is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and of the British Institute of Management. As a consultant he worked with organisations in the media and arts, defence, UK and foreign public sector and with international agencies. Before joining PWC in 1986, he was Head of the Prime Minister's Efficiency Unit. He started his career in the Central Statistical Office working in the fields of balance of payments, national accounts and monetary policy. He has an MA in politics, philosophy and economics, and a Post Graduate Diploma in statistics, both from Oxford University.

3. Ian Beesley holds no other Ministerial appointments. His appointment is for an initial period of 4 years, after which it may be renewed. The post receives an annual salary of £5,500 for 20 days work.

4. The Statistics Commission was established in 2000 to advise on the quality, quality assurance and priority setting for National Statistics, and on the procedures designed to deliver statistical integrity, to help ensure National Statistics are trustworthy and responsive to public needs. It is independent both of Ministers and of the producers of National Statistics. It operates in a transparent way with the minutes of its formal meetings, correspondence and evidence it receives, and advice it gives, all normally publicly available for scrutiny.

5. The other Commission board members are: Professor David Rhind (Chair), Colette Bowe, Sir Kenneth Calman, Dame Patricia Hodgson, Janet Trewsdale and Martin Weale.

6. More information about the Statistics Commission can be found on its website http://www.statscom.org.uk

7. All Media enquiries should be addressed to the Treasury press office on 020 7270 4420.