To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the (a) name, (b) professional and academic qualifications and (c) relevant experience are of the Chief Accounting Officer of the Electoral Commission. (76720)

The Electoral Commission does not have a “Chief Accounting Officer”. The Electoral Commission's Accounting Officer, who is designated by the Speaker's Committee in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, is Peter Wardle, the Commission's chief executive. Mr. Wardle has a Bachelor of Arts degree. Before becoming chief executive of the Electoral Commission in December 2004 he had been a senior civil servant for 10 years, including periods as Principal Finance Officer at the Cabinet Office and Director of Strategy and Planning at the Inland Revenue.