KARAN BILIMORIA UP FOR PEERAGE
(3 May 2006)

Karan Bilimoria, founder and CEO of Cobra Beer is one of seven new non-party-political peers recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission it was announced today. Professor Kamlesh Patel, an academic and government advisor on mental health, drugs and ethnicity is also among the nominees. As peers, they will sit on the crossbenches in the Upper House.

The Appointments Commission is a non-statutory advisory body set up by the Prime Minister to make recommendations for non-party-political peerages.The Commission's remit is to find people of distinction who will bring authority and expertise to the House of Lords. The Commission recommends individuals on merit and their ability to contribute effectively to the work of the House.

The new non-party-political peers are:

* Colin Low, the blind Chairman of the RNIB and campaigner for disability rights;He has served on the Government's Disability Rights Task Force and the Disability Rights Commission. Professor Low is also an honorary Visiting Professor at the Rehabilitation Resource Centre at City University.

* David Rowe-Beddoe, a leading international businessman who has played an active role in economic and cultural development in Wales. Sir David has been Chairman of the Wales Millennium Centre since 2001. Previously he was Chairman of the Welsh Development Agency from 1993-2001. Sir David's business career with multi-national companies includes De La Rue plc and Revlon Inc. Today he is a Director of a number of companies, President of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and Chairman of the Representative Body of the Church in Wales.

* Elizabeth Butler - Sloss, the first woman to become President of the Family Division of the High Court. Prior to this she sat on the Court of Appeal and was a High Court Judge in the Family Division. Dame Elizabeth was Chairman of the Commission for the Appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002. She retired last year as Chairman of the Security Commission and is currently Chancellor of the University of the West of England.

* Geoffrey Dear, previously HM Inspector of Constabulary, with particular experience in social problems in both urban and rural communities. Previously he was Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police Force. He served as Assistant Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police until 1985. Sir Geoffrey has considerable experience within the wider Criminal Justice system, and of social problems in both urban and rural communities. He is currently non-executive Chairman of four companies, Deputy Lieutenant of Worcestershire and is a trustee of several charities.

* Kamlesh Patel, an academic and government advisor on mental health, drugs and ethnicity. Professor Kamlesh Patel, Head of the Centre for Ethnicity and Health at the University of Central Lancashire. He is also Chairman of the Mental Health Act Commission, National Director and Chairman of the Government's Black and minority ethnic Mental Health Programme Board. Professor Patel is also a non-executive Board Member of the National Treatment Agency and Patron of National Men's Health Forum.

* Karan Bilimoria, a leading young entrepreneur; founder and Chief Executive of Cobra Beer. Mr Bilimoria has a number of public appointments including Membership of the Government's National Employment Panel and UK Chairman of the Indo-British Partnership. He is also a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London and the Chancellor of Thames Valley University.

* Molly Meacher, an international expert in employment and welfare issues. She is Chairman of the East London and City Mental Health Trust and was formerly Chairman of the Security Industry Authority and before that Deputy Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority. She has also worked as Chief Adviser to the Russian Government on the development of the Federal Employment Service and as Director of the Campaign for Work. She was a Mental Health Act Commissioner until 1992.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission has now recommended a total of 36 non-party-political peerages to the Prime Minister.

The membership of the House of Lords Appointments Commission was announced by the Prime Minister on 4th May 2000. The Chairman, Dennis Stevenson, is a crossbench peer. The Commission comprises two other non-party political members: Angela Sarkis CBE and Felicity Huston. These members of the Commission were selected through open competition. The Commission also includes three members nominated by each of the three main political parties: Baroness Brenda Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde (Labour), Lord Douglas Hurd of Westwell (Conservative) and Lord Navnit Dholakia (Liberal Democrat).

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