Lords criticise selection process of BBC chairman

An all-party House of Lords committee has published a report which criticises the process by which Sir Michael Lyons, the BBC Trust's chairman, was appointed to the role.

The report, from the House of Lords Communications Committee, says that though the process to appoint the chairman was subject to strict guidelines, government ministers were given "considerable opportunity" to influence the selection.

The BBC said Sir Michael's appointment was a matter for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The DCMS added that the selection of Sir Michael followed strict guidelines set by the commissioner for public appointments, and was made on "merit after a fair, open and transparent process."

In compiling the report, the committee found that a selection panel chaired by a civil servant shortlisted four candidates for the chairman's role, with ministers able to add another name to the list before interviews were conducted. Four of the five were then put forward for the appointment, with one being recommended more highly than the others, though it is unknown whether this candidate was Sir Michael.

The committee suggested that in future the Trust's chairman should be "subject to a pre-appointment parliamentary hearing," and said the role should be subject to a six-month notice period. It also suggested that the panel's chairman should not be a civil servant or political figure.

The report also encouraged "greater clarity" to the chairman's role, and said: "It is no longer clear who is ultimately responsible for the BBC or what the role of the Chairman of the BBC Trust is."

A BBC statement said: "At a strategic level, the trust sets the editorial framework within which the BBC must operate, while management is responsible for day-to-day operations, including compliance with the editorial guidelines."

Former council chief executive Sir Michael Lyons became the chairman of the BBC Trust after Sir Michael Grade's departure to ITV last November sparked a search for a replacement by the DCMS.

It has been previously suggested that having completed a number of government reviews on behalf of Gordon Brown when Brown was Chancellor, that Sir Michael Lyons has established close connections to the new Prime Minster.