Government ‘grounds BAA plan to recruit Sir David Rowlands’
27.04.08
The Government has torpedoed secret attempts by BAA to hand a lucrative directorship to Sir David Rowlands, a former civil servant who played a key role in directing national airport policy, the Telegraph reports.
The newspaper says that it has learned that BAA offered Sir David, who spent four years as the permanent secretary of the Department for Transport before retiring last May, a role as a non-executive director several weeks ago. His remit was to have been to provide counsel on BAA's regulatory landscape and to act as a bridgehead between the company and Whitehall.
During a 24-year career at the DfT, Sir David was a central figure in Britain's aviation policy, overseeing proposals for a third runway at Heathrow and the delivery of a public-private partnership for air traffic control services. The Telegraph says 'Downing Street sources' said last night that he had accepted the post in principle before the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments recommended against the move because of its political sensitivity.
Sir David could not be reached for comment and BAA also declined to comment, the newspaper reports.
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