Schedule - Further provision about OFCOM
Office of Communications [Lords]
10:30 am
Dr Kim Howells (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Pontypridd, Labour)
Amendment No. 28 would require the Secretary of State to have regard to the principles of public life set out by the Committee on Standards in Public Life before appointing the chairman and non-executives members of Ofcom.
The seven principles to which the amendment refers are relevant to all holders of public office, and the Government endorse them. In our previous sitting, we had difficulty remembering what the seven principles were, so for the benefit of the Committee, I shall read them out. They are selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. Those are the principles of all politicians, and they are relevant to all holders of public office.
The principles of public life are general in their scope and do not apply only to the making of appointments. In carrying out her duties, the Secretary of State must have regard to the principles of various pieces of guidance and codes—including ministerial codes—relating to the making of appointments. Guidance from the Commissioner for Public Appointments is also important. It would be
incumbent on the Secretary of State to have regard to all relevant guidance and principles when making appointments to the Office of Communications. However, we do not propose to set out in the Bill what each of those pieces of guidance might be.