RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

August 2, 2001
NEW PRESIDENT NOMINATED FOR RoSPA

Following his appointment as a Government Whip, Lord Davies of Oldham has stepped down as the President of The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Richard Steer, the Society’s Vice-Chairman said: “We congratulate Lord Davies on his appointment, but the Government’s gain is our loss as it meant it would have been inappropriate for him to continue in his role with the Society.”

Paying tribute to his service to the Society, Richard Steer said: “Lord Davies has been President for almost two years and has been a most effective and enthusiastic champion of the safety cause. However, I am delighted to announce that Lord Faulkner of Worcester has agreed to take over the reins by agreeing to be nominated for election as President at the Society’s annual meeting on October 26. In that capacity, Lord Faulkner will also chair the Society’s Executive Committee. We are sure his skills will prove to be a valuable asset in the Society’s efforts to remain a powerful influencer for accident prevention.”

Lord Faulkner has kindly agreed to support the work of the Society by attending various events in the interregnum.

Lord Faulkner is a Labour peer and was appointed to the House of Lords in 1999. He is the Departmental Liaison Peer at the Cabinet Office, and worked with Lord Macdonald at the Department of Transport in the last Parliament. He is a director of Cardiff Millennium Stadium plc, and adviser to Littlewoods Leisure.

Richard Faulkner has immense experience in the transport sector, having been adviser to the British Railways Board for 20 years before joining the House of Lords. Before 1999 he was Deputy Chairman of Citigate Westminster, the leading public affairs and PR consultancy. He advised a range of leading organisations, including Cardiff County Council, Littlewoods, the Financial Services Authority and Standard Life Assurance.

For 18 years Lord Faulkner was a leading member of the Football Trust, serving as a trustee, secretary and first deputy chairman. He played an influential part in assisting professional football clubs transform their stadia in implementing safety legislation in the aftermath of the Ibrox and Hillsborough disasters.