Written question asked by Viscount Thurso (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 23 March 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 26 March 2004. It was answered by Tony McNulty (Labour) on Friday, 26 March 2004 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Dept for Transport

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the process by which the Department's Chief Scientific Adviser was employed; and if he will publish the application details of the other short-listed candidates.

Answer: John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the process by which the Department's Chief Scientific Adviser was employed; and if he will publish the application details of the other short-listed candidates. [164041] Mr. McNulty: This was an open competition to recruit a Chief Scientific Adviser at Senior Civil Servant Pay Band 2 level for the Department. The process was managed and chaired by Alastair Macdonald, the Civil Service Commissioner. The other panel members were Lord Oxburgh, Sir David King, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser and the previous DfT Permanent Secretary Rachael Lomax and the current Permanent DfT Secretary David Rowlands. The successful candidate was Professor Frank Kelly who took up post on 1 August 2003. It is not the Department's practice to declare the names of the other short listed candidates, as all applications are made in confidence.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 419 c1074W;419 c1076W; 164041
Session: 2003-04
Subjects: Department for Transport Government departments Recruitment Public appointments Special advisers Science
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk