Latest civil service & public affairs moves – February 27

UK government

• Department for Business and Trade – Professor Julia Sutcliffe appointed the department’s chief scientific adviser from the end of February. 
• Ministry of Defence – Margaret Obi appointed as Service Police Complaints Commissioner – who will oversee the new Service Police complaints process which is expected to come into force in the second quarter of 2023. 
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Energy Efficiency Taskforce – Lord Callanan and Alison Rose DBE appointed as co-chairs. 
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Fern Horine appointed as His Majesty’s ambassador to the Republic of Moldova from October, succeeding Steven Fisher who will be transferring to another diplomatic service appointment. Guy Warrington appointed as His Majesty’s ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan from March, succeeding Jonny Baxter who will be transferring to another diplomatic service appointment. 
• Ministry of Justice – Naomi Candlin, Richard Cole, Catherine Doran, Alison Green, Matthias Kelly KC, Andrew J McLoughlin, Lucinda Orr and Frederico Singarajah appointed as court examiners for five years from 1 March. Civil Procedure Rules Committee – David Marshall re-appointed as a legally qualified Member for three years from 11 May; Isabel Hitching KC and Tom Montagu-Smith KC re-appointed as legally qualified Members for three years from 1 October. 
• Northern Ireland Office: Equality Commission for Northern Ireland – Neil Anderson, Lisa Caldwell, Duane Farrell, Jarlath Kearney, Carmel McKinney and Stephen Matthews appointed as Commissioners from 1 March. 
• Privy Council Office – Maria Eagle MP, Marcus Jones MP, Kelly Tolhurst MP and Craig Whittaker MP appointed as a privy counsellors. 
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology – Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE appointed as government chief scientific adviser and head of the government science and engineering profession from 1 April. 
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Department of Health and Social Care: Office for Life Sciences – Lord O'Shaughnessy appointed to conduct an independent review into the UK’s commercial clinical trials landscape and will publish his advice this spring. 
• Department for Transport: Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee – Matthew Campbell-Hill appointed as Chair. Maritime and Coastguard Agency – Virginia McVea appointed as Chief Executive from 3 April. 
• HM Treasury: Royal Mint Advisory Committee – Jane Ridley and Hughie O'Donoghue re-appointed as members until 31 December 2024. 
• Competition and Markets Authority – Professor Annabelle Gawer, Professor Anja Lambrecht, Professor Neil Lawrence, Geoffrey Myers, Mark Nottingham, Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Rod Sims AO, Dina Srinivasan and Dr Mahlet Zimeta appointed as experts to advise the CMA as it prepares for new powers to oversee digital markets. 

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons 

• Sir Roger Gale’s appointment as deputy speaker will continue for the remainder of this session. 
• Scottish Affairs Committee – Christine Jardine and Andrew Western added; Jon Cruddas and Liz Twist discharged. 

House of Lords 

• The Bishop of Lichfield’s introduction to the House of Lords took place on 20 February. 
• Baroness Wolf of Dulwich was a non-affiliated peer, now a crossbench peer. 
• Restoration and Renewal Programme Board – Lord Collins of Highbury, Lord Morse and Lord Sherbourne of Didsbury added as members; Simon Burton (Clerk of the Parliaments) appointed as lay member. 
• The Earl of Rosslyn appointed as Lord Steward, succeeding The Earl of Dalhousie. 

NEW added to 22 February All-Party Groups Register: 

• St Kitts and Nevis 
• Central South 
• Digital Finance 
• Nutrition: Science and Health 
• Prepayment Meters 
• Shakespeare 
• CBD (Cannabidiol) Products renamed Industrial Hemp and CBD (Cannabidiol) Products

Local authorities

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• Ipswich Borough Council – Helen Pluck appointed as chief executive; she has been the interim chief executive since 1 February. 
• Medway Council – Richard Hicks appointed as chief executive. 

Industry

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Interest groups 

• British Red Cross – Mike Adamson is to stand down as chief executive; he will remain in post until a new chief executive has been appointed in late 2023. 
• FareShare – George Wright appointed as chief executive. 
• UK Green Building Council – Smith Mordak appointed as chief executive from the summer.