15 February 2002
Mawer, whose appointment was confirmed by MPs this week, was approached by commission member Stuart Bell, who speaks for the Church of England hierarchy in the Commons, after a poor response when the £75,000 post was advertised last month.
It is understood that Sir Michael Bichard, the former permanent secretary at the transport, local government and regional department, was also approached but decided not to apply.
'The great and the good weren't going to be very interested in this post after it was downgraded and after what happened to Liz Filkin,' said a senior official.
Mawer was chosen from a shortlist of six by the House of Commons Commission, a committee of five MPs which meets in secret, to replace ousted Westminster sleazebuster Elizabeth Filkin. He takes over from Filkin on March 5.
Mawer, a former high-flying Home Office official, is a respected administrator with a reputation for straight-talking and a ready wit. But he is not expected to ruffle MPs' feathers to the same extent as Filkin, who was effectively forced out by MPs following what she claimed was a whispering campaign against her.
PFfeb2002
