Attack as freemason is appointed head of the NHS in Wales

Source: Wales Online

 Dec 19 2008 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

THE appointment of a freemason as the head of the NHS in Wales was attacked last night as inconsistent.

Paul Williams left his post as chief executive of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust at the end of last month on a two-year secondment during which he will be in charge of the Welsh health service.

He is currently working a handover period with Ann Lloyd, his predecessor, who is retiring.

But a civil servant who contacted the Western Mail contrasted the appointment of Mr Williams with an earlier decision to block the appointment of Gerard Elias QC as the Welsh Assembly’s counsel general – partly because he was a freemason.

In 2004, Mr Elias, one of the best-known barristers in Wales, was personally vetoed by First Minister Rhodri Morgan after he was recommended for the post of top legal adviser at the Assembly by Civil Service Commissioners.

Mr Morgan’s refusal to appoint Mr Elias – and the revelation that he had unsuccessfully sought approval from the commissioners to appoint the candidate who came second, a former Labour parliamentary candidate – created a political storm at the time.

In response to allegations from opposition AMs that he had acted unreasonably in vetoing Mr Elias, Mr Morgan said: “I did not register any over-riding objection to the shortlist, although I did comment on the fact that one candidate, subsequently recommended for appointment by the panel, was a prominent freemason.

“My concern derived from the salience of freemasonry, reflected in debates in the standards committee and the Assembly as a whole.

“I was, however, prepared to waive my concern on this issue, noting that the candidate was prepared to resign from the freemasonry, as did the previous counsel general on appointment.

“When the permanent secretary advised me of the recommendation from the panel and I read the full papers, I became aware of information not previously available to me that the recommended candidate was also a board member of the Independent Supervisory Authority for Hunting.

“My concern was not the personal views of the candidate on hunting or any other issue. This is a free country.

“Given the high political salience of the law on hunting with dogs taken in conjunction with the public debate surrounding freemasonry, I judged that the legal advice of a counsel general prominently associated with these two controversial areas would not carry the necessary stamp of untrammelled authority throughout the Assembly.

“A counsel general who would not carry the required authority would not be able to meet the key prerequisite of the post.”

Earlier this week, the Western Mail received a typewritten letter saying: “I am afraid this note has to be anonymous as I am a civil servant.

“You might find it useful to ask the Welsh Assembly Government why it saw fit to debar Gerard Elias from the counsel general post on the basis of his rather inactive freemasonry but now sees no problem in appointing Paul Williams, a very senior and active freemason, to the post of head of NHS Wales.

“No doubt the excuse will be that the counsel general offers advice on legal issues but there is no more sensitive post than head of NHS Wales.

“I am not a freemason but I have no quarrel with that organisation. I have no axe to grind for or against Mr Elias, unknown to me, or Mr Williams, known to me but not well-known.

“My beef is really with the inconsistency and – let’s face it the dishonesty – around decisions like this which devalue the whole Assembly position.”

An Assembly Government spokeswoman said: “We appoint on merit and the best person for the job based on skills and experience. We do not have a policy of excluding individuals based on membership of the freemasons.

“Candidates are not obliged to declare membership of the freemasons. The issue of Paul Williams’ membership of freemasons is viewed as a private matter.”