Latest civil service & public affairs moves – January 17

Government departments

• Prime Minister's Office – Baroness Penn will be re-appointed as a Government Whip (Baroness in Waiting) following the end of her maternity leave on 26 January. Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen will leave the role as government whip (baroness in waiting) and the government on 4 February. UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – Jerome Mayhew, Paul Howell and Lord Keen of Elie appointed as members. Kate Osborne, Jane Stevenson, Richard Holden and Baroness Foster of Oxton appointed as substitute members. Martin Vickers, Felicity Buchan, Steve Double and Lord Balfe discharged. UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – John Whittingdale appointed as leader. Mark Pritchard and Lord Smith of Hindhead appointed as members. Gareth Johnson, Mike Wood and Lord Bowness discharged. The Very Reverend Stephen Lake, dean of Gloucester, approved for election as Bishop of Salisbury, in succession to The Right Reverend Nicholas Holtam following his retirement. Churches Conservation Trust – Elizabeth Peace  appointed as chair, Sir Simon Jenkins re-appointed as a member and Dr Oliver Cox and Inayat Omarji appointed as members, each for a three-year term.
• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – National Nuclear Laboratory – Ian Funnell appointed as chair from 26 January, succeeding Sir Andrew Mathews.
• Cabinet Office – Security Vetting Appeals Panel – Sir Antony Edwards-Stuart re-appointed as deputy chair from 1 April to 31 March 2026.
• Department of Health and Social Care – Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam to step down as deputy chief medical officer for England at the end of March to return from his secondment at DHSC to be the pro-vice-chancellor for the faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Nottingham University. NHS England – David Webb appointed as chief pharmaceutical officer for England from February. He will be a member of NHS England and NHS Improvement Medical Directorate's senior management team, the UK Government chief medical officer's senior clinical group, head of pharmacy professions in England and the principal adviser on pharmacy and medicines use in the NHS. He will also be the senior responsible officer for reducing inappropriate prescribing of antibiotic medicines.
• Home Office – Emma Churchill appointed director-general of Migration and Borders Group from 20 January, replacing Glyn Williams, who retired in December 2021. Police Remuneration Review Body and National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body – Zoë Billingham appointed as chair for three years from 13 January.
• Department for International Trade – Graham Stuart appointed as the prime minister's trade envoy to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Lord Sarfraz appointed as the PM's trade envoy to Singapore
• Non-Ministerial Departments – Competition and Markets Authority – Andrea Coscelli to step down as chief executive at the end of his current term in July 2022.

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons

• Jack Dromey (Labour MP for Birmingham, Erdington) passed away on 7 January.
• Anne-Marie Morris – Conservative whip withdrawn; she will sit as an independent.
• Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority – Theresa Middleton appointed as lay member for five years from 27 January to 26 January 2027.

House of Lords

• Lord Hughes of Woodside (Labour, life peer) passed away on 7 January.
• Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury (Crossbench, life peer) granted a leave of absence on 10 January.
• Lord Cashman was non-affiliated, now Labour.

Political Parties

Plaid Cymru

• Heledd Fychan appointed as spokesperson for children and young people and Welsh language and continues as spokesperson for culture, sport and international affairs.
• Sioned Williams appointed as spokesperson for post-16 education and continues as spokesperson for social justice and equalities.
• Mabon ap Gwynfor appointed as spokesperson for agriculture and rural affairs and continues as spokesperson for housing and planning.
• Cefin Campbell appointed as the second designated member of the co-operation agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh government, joining lead designated member Sian Gwenllian.

Devolved Administrations

Scottish Government

• David Strang appointed as chair of the Drugs Death Taskforce.

Welsh Parliament

• Children, Young People and Education Committee – Sioned Williams added. Siân Gwenllian discharged.

Welsh Government

• Rocio Cifuentes appointed as children’s commissioner for Wales from 20 April.
• Derek Vaughan appointed as the first Welsh government representative on Europe.
• Transport for Wales – Scott Waddington re-appointed as chair of the board for three years from 7 January.

Northern Ireland Executive

• Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education – Gavin Benjamin Gray and Bob Hanna appointed as members from 6 January to 24 February 2024.
• Comhairle na Gaelscolaĺochta – Nuala Toman appointed as member from 6 January to 4 December 2024.

Local Authorities

• Slough Borough Council – Gavin Jones, chief executive of Essex County Council, appointed as assistant commissioner, on a part-time basis overseeing its financial recovery work, from 11 January to November 2024.

Industry

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Interest Groups

• Brain Tumour Charity – Alex Lochrane appointed as chief executive from 24 January.
• Equality Trust – Zubaida Haque appointed as executive director.
• Royal Academy of Dance – Tim Arthur appointed as chief executive from 1 March, succeeding Luke Rittner who is retiring on 30 April after 23 years in the role.