Lord Hayward (Con)

I echo the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Birt, about a conflict of interest. I take the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Addington: making small or one-off contributions because you have been asked to, given that you hold that particular role, is very different from having a specific and clear role in the media. There would be a conflict of interest if you held both positions and were contributing on a regular basis. I cannot see that it would be perceived by the average fan as acceptable to have someone who held both positions. My noble friend Lord Parkinson has included in his amendment the word “currently”. I assume that he would accept someone giving up one role specifically to take up another—I think that is what he is referring to—but I certainly take the view that any substantial media interest would be utterly unacceptable for someone in these circumstances. Millions of football fans would take the view that they were pro a particular point of view at any given point. I share the view of the noble Lord, Lord Londesborough, on salaries, particularly because it is always dangerous to put a salary in legislation. What happens if you have inflation? First, you have to change the primary legislation, and there is no indication of inflation adjustment in the amendment. Those are small observations, but I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Birt, and the direction of my noble friend Lord Parkinson’s amendment—that there should not be a prima facie case of conflict of interest in these circumstances.