The Transport Minister, Tom Harris, today announced the appointment of Ron Culley as a Member of the British Transport Police (BTP) Authority.

Ron Culley has been appointed for four years from 1 June 2008. Remuneration will be £14,881 per annum for a time commitment of 30 days per annum.

Educated at the University of Strathclyde, since 2006 Ron Culley has been Chief Executive of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport which is responsible, among other things, for running Glasgow's underground railway. He is involved in the comprehensive redevelopment of the Glasgow Underground railway system and was responsible for developing the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, transferring the task of construction to Transport Scotland in April 2008. He lives in the suburbs of Glasgow with his wife and two young sons.

This is not Ron Culley's first public appointment. He is currently a Board Member with the Glasgow Economic Forum and of The Wise Group and receives no remuneration in respect of any of these appointments. He was previously a member of the Police Advisory Board of Scotland and was a Governor of the Scottish Police Academy.

All members of the British Transport Police Authority are appointed in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Ron Culley has declared that in 1999 he stood as a prospective parliamentary candidate for the first Scottish Parliament on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party. He was not elected and has not been active in politics since.