Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many director nominations or appointments they have made or approved to the board of the Post Office in each of the years since 2000.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Nominations to the Board of Post Office Limited are generally made by Post Office Limited’s Nominations Committee (‘NomCo’, a sub-Committee of the Post Office Board) with the resulting appointments confirmed by the Board, on the advice of the NomCo. The Shareholder Representative Non-Executive Director sits on NomCo, and the Shareholder (the Department for Business and Trade) approves the appointment. The exceptions to these processes are the appointment of the Shareholder Non-Executive Director and the appointment of the Chair, which are made by the Shareholder.
A historic record of appointments, as set out on Companies House, is provided below.
Name | Position | Occupation | Appointment date | Resignation date |
Ms Maria Luisa Cassoni | Director | Director | 01/02/2001 | 17/06/2002 |
Mr Peter Michael Corbett | Director | Director | 13/11/2001 | 01/07/2009 |
Mr John Basil Larkins | Director | Director | 13/11/2001 | 25/04/2002 |
Mr David William Miller | Director | Director | 13/11/2001 | 31/07/2006 |
Mr Paul Andrew Rich | Director | Director | 13/11/2001 | 15/04/2002 |
Mr Allan Leslie Leighton | Director | Director | 08/01/2002 | 25/03/2009 |
Mr David Mills | Director | Director | 15/04/2002 | 31/12/2005 |
Mr Alan John Munro Barrie | Director | Director | 03/09/2002 | 08/06/2004 |
Mr John Charles Main | Director | Director | 03/09/2002 | 01/07/2003 |
Mr Gordon Ramsay Steele | Director | Director | 03/09/2002 | 31/01/2006 |
Elmar Toime | Director | Director | 10/04/2003 | 16/11/2004 |
Mr Michael Hodgkinson | Director | Director | 01/05/2003 | 31/08/2007 |
Mr John Barnetson Anderson | Director | Director | 01/07/2003 | 14/04/2007 |
Mr Stephen Graham Halliday | Director | Director | 20/08/2003 | 31/07/2006 |
Mr Brian Joseph Goggin | Director | Director | 01/09/2004 | 21/07/2006 |
Mr Alan Ronald Cook | Director | Director | 22/02/2005 | 15/03/2010 |
Mr Richard Phillip Francis | Director | Director | 02/03/2005 | 02/05/2008 |
Ms Sue Rachel Whalley | Director | Director | 01/09/2006 | 05/11/2009 |
Mr David Ian Glynn | Director | Director | 26/10/2006 | 31/10/2009 |
Mr Gary Hockey Morley | Director | Director | 26/10/2006 | 31/10/2009 |
Ms Deborah Lois Moore | Director | Director | 12/06/2007 | 31/10/2009 |
Mr Michael Thomas Young | Director | Director | 01/08/2008 | 31/10/2009 |
Mr Donald Hood Brydon | Director | Director | 01/05/2009 | 22/09/2011 |
Mr Michael John Moores | Director | Director | 01/07/2009 | 10/06/2011 |
Mr David John Smith | Director | Director | 06/04/2010 | 13/06/2011 |
Moya Marguerite Greene | Director | Director | 18/10/2010 | 17/12/2010 |
Mr Arthur Leslie Owen | Director | Director | 18/10/2010 | 15/03/2012 |
Ms Paula Anne Vennells | Director | Director | 18/10/2010 | 30/04/2019 |
Mr Matthew Lester | Director | Director | 17/12/2010 | 01/11/2011 |
Ms Alice Elizabeth Perkins | Director | Director | 21/07/2011 | 31/07/2015 |
Mr Christopher Mark Day | Director | Director | 22/09/2011 | 28/01/2015 |
Mr Neil McCausland | Director | Director | 22/09/2011 | 30/09/2015 |
Ms Virginia Anne Holmes | Director | Director | 04/04/2012 | 27/03/2018 |
Ms Susannah Jemima Storey | Director | Civil Servant | 18/04/2012 | 26/03/2014 |
Mr Alasdair Marnoch | Director | Director | 23/05/2012 | 31/07/2015 |
Mr Timothy Franklin | Director | Director | 19/09/2012 | 31/12/2019 |
Mr Richard John Callard | Director | Director | 26/03/2014 | 27/03/2018 |
Mr Alisdair Charles John Cameron | Director | Chief Financial Officer | 28/01/2015 | NA |
Mr Timothy Charles Parker | Director | Chairman | 01/10/2015 | 30/09/2022 |
Mr Kenneth Stanely McCall | Director | Director | 21/01/2016 | 26/01/2022 |
Ms Carla Rosaline Stent | Director | Director | 21/01/2016 | 17/02/2023 |
Mr Thomas Knut Glenn Cooper | Director | Non Executive Director | 27/03/2018 | 11/05/2023 |
Ms Shirine Khoury-Haq | Director | Director | 24/05/2018 | 18/07/2019 |
Mr Nicholas James Read | Director | Chief Executive Officer | 16/09/2019 | NA |
Zarin Homi Patel | Director | Non Executive Director | 26/11/2019 | 13/03/2023 |
Ms Lisa Harrington | Director | Director | 08/04/2020 | 01/06/2023 |
Mr Sarfaraz Gulam Ismail | Director | Director | 03/06/2021 | NA |
Mr Elliot Marc Jacobs | Director | Director | 03/06/2021 | NA |
Mr Brian Gaunt | Director | Director | 25/01/2022 | NA |
Mr Henry Eric Staunton | Director | Chairman | 01/12/2022 | 27/01/2024 |
Mr Simon Jeffreys | Director | Non Executive Director | 23/03/2023 | NA |
Ms Amanda Jane Burton | Director | Director | 27/04/2023 | NA |
Ms Lorna Rachel Gratton | Director | Director | 12/05/2023 | NA |
Mr Andrew Atta Darfoor | Director | Director | 20/06/2023 | NA |
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2023 to Question 196336 on Sports: Scotland and the stipulation that at least 40% of projects must benefit at least one other sport in addition to football on a sustained and regular basis, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) acceptability of the majority of funding being spent on astroturf pitches and (b) in that instance, the potential impact of that funding on (i) hockey and (ii) other sports that do not use fourth generation astroturf pitches.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In Scotland, funding from the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme is delivered through the Scottish Football Association (SFA), with recipients chosen via an application process involving advice from a panel which includes Sport Scotland. At least 40% of the funding must go towards multi-sport projects, and the SFA works closely with Sport Scotland to deliver this funding.
4G pitches are not widely used - Department for Culture, Media and Sport investment is generally used to deliver third generation (3G) synthetic surfaces in line with industry standard.
As per guidance, competitive hockey cannot be played on 3G surfaces but those pitches can still be used for training purposes and for other sports e.g rugby (where shock-pads are installed).
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which regulatory bodies have responsibility for safety issues for 3G pitches with rubber crumb in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety of pitches, whether they feature rubber in-fill or not, is the responsibility of individual field owners and operators and those designing, building and maintaining 3G pitches. They have a duty of care to ensure their pitch does not create unnecessary risks to players, match officials and those undertaking maintenance.
A number of governing bodies, including FIFA, World Rugby and the International Hockey Federation (FIH), have included recommendations from the European Committee for Standardisation into their certification programmes for artificial grass pitches, and the Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA) provides guidance on developing and managing sport construction projects and facilities.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme on promoting, developing and widening access to field hockey.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Supporting grassroots sport is a key government priority to ensure that everyone is able to access quality sport and physical activity opportunities, and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that exercise provides.
The Government has committed to delivering the facilities that every community needs, and is investing over £300 million across the UK between 2021 and 2025 as a step towards that ambition. This will promote and widen access to grassroots sports, including field hockey.
England Hockey engages with the Football Foundation and wider partners on how they can work together and benefit from the Government’s investment in UK-wide multisport facilities. Sport England has also provided England Hockey with grant support to update their national facility strategy.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2022 to Question 107201, if he will list the value of the loans made to each of those 15 sports.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Sport Survival Package distributed a total of £264.8 million funding (loan and grant funding) to over 1,685 organisations across 15 sports to ensure their survival throughout the pandemic.
£218,271,393 was provided through loans to the sports listed below:
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2022 to Question 87999, if he will provide a breakdown listing (a) the 15 sports that received loans and (b) the total number of loans allocated to each.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Sport Survival Package distributed a total of £264.8 million funding (loan and grant funding) across 15 sports to ensure their survival throughout the pandemic.
The number of loans issued to sports and their organisations is as follows: one loan was issued to athletics, 10 loans were issued to basketball, 35 loans were issued to football, one loan was issued to horse racing, five loans were issued to ice hockey, five loans were issued to motorsport, five loans were issued to netball, one loan was issued for non-ticketed events, 27 loans were issued to rugby league, 103 loans were issued to rugby union and one loan was issued to tennis.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has for the future (a) use and (b) expansion of Lilleshall Hall National Sports Centre; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Lilleshall National Sports Centre provides opportunities for elite and talent pathway athletes as part of National Governing Body (NGB) programmes. The centre is part of the national Elite Training Centre network of facilities which also provide support through the English Institute of Sport (EIS) athlete rehabilitation programmes. These activities are provided alongside opportunities for local people and community organisations/clubs to take part in a range of activities.
UK Sport, Sport England, EIS and stakeholders including British Gymnastics, GB Archery and the Royal British Legion Battleback programme collaborate and combine to provide a range of activities on site.
An element of commercial activity such as conferences take place at Lilleshall and this helps to underpin the financial viability of the site and enables the provision of sporting activity. There are no plans for this to change.
The centre has benefitted from investment over recent years, including state of the art gymnastics facilities, renovation of the Lilleshall Main House listed building, new hockey pitches and office accommodation for NGB’s. Future plans for investment include improved archery facilities and the expansion of the Royal British Legion Battleback programme which include the hosting of the Invictus Games programme.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help support grassroot sports initiatives in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health and this government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
The significant core public investment of £778 million for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has accelerated investment and regeneration in Birmingham and the West Midlands. This includes infrastructure developments like the Alexander Stadium renovations and the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre that will be a legacy for the community to use long after the Games is over. Sport England is also investing £35 million for physical activity legacy, which will cover both targeted interventions in the West Midlands region as well as national investments to open up sporting opportunities to all.
Since 2018, the department has also invested £333,674 into a wide range of grassroots sport projects across Wolverhampton through Sport England, such as to the Finchfield Hockey Club and Ormiston New Academy. This is part of the £23.2 million invested in the West Midlands during the same period.
The Government also invests £18 million each year in community sport facilities via the Football Foundation. In partnership with the Football Association and Premier League, this results in £70 million being invested into community sport facilities every year. The Football Foundation has granted over £4.7 million to the West Midlands to develop football and multi-use grassroots sports facilities in 2021/22.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of categorising (a) figure skating, (b) ice hockey and (c) other ice-based sports, as sports rather than as leisure activities.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. The Prime Minister announced a national lockdown on Monday 4 January meaning that indoor facilities including ice rinks must close.
Previously, ice rinks were closed in tier 3 and 4 as they are primarily used for the purpose of entertainment. This is consistent with other venues used for entertainment purposes across the economy which were also closed. To allow those who need to access ice rinks, in tier three, exemptions were made for sport for educational purposes, people with disabilities, supervised activity for under-18s and elite athletes.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the English Ice Hockey Association and British Ice Skating’s joint campaign to reopen ice rinks in tier 3 covid-19 local alert level areas for (a) elite sport, (b) under-18 sport, (c) disability sport, (d) educational programmes and (e) organised sport.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. That’s why we made sure that people could exercise at least once a day even during the height of the first period of enhanced national restrictions and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so.
Under Tier 3, Ice Rinks are able to open for disability sport, sports as part of the curriculum in education and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s (including those who were under 18 on 31 August 2020). Elite and professional athletes may continue to use facilities including ice rinks to train and to compete Behind Closed Doors.