Latest civil service & public affairs moves – March 10

UK government

• Department for Business and Trade: British Hallmarking Council – Kerry Gregory, Sally Leonard and Frederick Toye appointed as members for three years.  Trade Remedies Authority – Steve O’Donoghue appointed as interim chief executive and accounting officer; John Hughes and Adam Marshall CBE re-appointed as non-executive directors for three years. 
• Department for Education – Anneliese Dodds MP resigned as minister of state for women and equalities on 28 February; Baroness Smith of Malvern appointed as minister of state for women and equalities and continues her responsibilities as minister of state for skills. 
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Anneliese Dodds MP resigned as minister of state for development on 28 February; Baroness Chapman of Darlington appointed as minister of wtate for international development and continues her responsibilities for Latin America and Caribbean. She will also attend cabinet. Stephen Doughty MP will cover Official Development Assistance in the House of Commons. 
• Department of Health and Social Care: Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – Lawrence Tallon appointed as chief executive from 1 April.  NHS England – Dr Penelope Dash appointed as chair for four years from 1 April. UK Health Security Agency – Dyfed Alsop appointed as chief operating officer and deputy chief executive officer from 1 May. 
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Thurrock Council – Dr Dave Smith reappointed as managing director commissioner until 1 September 2025. 
• Northern Ireland Office: International Fund for Ireland – Shona McCarthy appointed as chair; Angila Chada, Katy Hayward, Janet McConkey and Bill Pauley appointed as members to the board; Anne Carr and Anne Conaghan reappointed as members to the board. 

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons 

• Backbench Business Committee – Jonathan Davies added; Jack Abbott discharged. 
• NEW Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls – Liam Byrne appointed as Chair; Antonia Bance, John Cooper, Sarah Edwards, Alison Griffiths, Sonia Kumar, Charlie Maynard, Gregor Poynton, Joshua Reynolds, Matt Western and Rosie Wrighting appointed as members. 
• Environmental Audit Committee – Alison Griffiths added. 
• Modernisation Committee – Chris Vince added; Mike Amesbury discharged. 
• Petitions Committee – Jacob Collier added; David Baines discharged. 
• Committee of Privileges – Michael Wheeler added; Mark Ferguson discharged. 
• Committee on Standards – Michael Wheeler added; Mark Ferguson discharged. 
• Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments – Rachel Blake and David Pinto-Duschinsky added; Mark Ferguson and Claire Hughes discharged. 
• Electoral Commission – Dame Elan Closs Stephens re-appointed as electoral commissioner from 13 March until 12 March 2027. 

House of Lords 

• Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich retired from the Lords on 28 March. 
• Baroness Murphy (CB) granted a leave of absence from 1 March. 
• Lord Taverne (Lib Dem) retired from the Lords on 7 March. 
• Lord Inglewood was a non-affiliated peer, now crossbench. 
• Joint Committee on Human Rights – Lord Sewell of Sanderstead added. 
• Justice and Home Affairs Committee – Baroness Cash added. 
• Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee – Lord Pack added. 
• Social Mobility Policy Committee – Lord Young of Cookham added; Baroness Shephard of Northwold discharged. 
• UK Engagement with Space Committee – Lord Lansley and Lord St John of Bletso added; Lord Cromwell and Lord Vaizey of Didcot discharged. 

Devolved administrations

Scottish Government

• Care Inspectorate Board – Edward McGrachan re-appointed as member for two years from 1 June until 31 May 2027. 
• South of Scotland Enterprise – Anna Austin appointed as member of the board for four years from 1 April until 31 March 2029. 

Welsh Government 

• Welsh Revenue Authority – Dyfed Alsop to stand down as chief executive at the end of April; Rebecca Godfrey appointed as interim chief executive from the start of May. 

Northern Ireland Executive 

• Siobhan Casey appointed as commissioner for older people for Northern Ireland for four years from 7 April. 
• Nature Conservation and the Countryside – Sara McCracken appointed as deputy chair of the council until 28 February 2028. 
• Warrenpoint Harbour Authority – Joanne Jennings appointed as non-executive member on the board for four years; Jane Chambers appointed as non-executive member on the board for four years from 1 April; Alistair Eagles appointed as non-executive member on the board for four years from 1 June. 

Local authorities

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• Dacorum Borough Council – Darren Welsh appointed as interim chief executive. 
• Dorset Council – Sam Crowe appointed as interim chief executive from 1 March. 
• Inverclyde Council – Stephen McCabe (Lab) elected as council leader, four months after stepping down. 
• Pendle Borough Council – Lawrence Conway appointed as interim chief executive. 
• Richmond and Wandsworth Councils – Andrew Travers appointed as interim chief executive. 
• St Helens Borough Council – Mark Palethorpe appointed as chief executive from April. 
• Shropshire Council – Lezley Picton (Con) to stand down as council leader as is not seeking re-election. 

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