Latest civil service & public affairs moves – Feb 17-Mar 3

UK government

• Department for Business and Trade: Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service Council – Danny Mortimer appointed as employer member; Mike Clancey’s term extended by six months; Christina McAnea and Roy Rickhuss re-appointed as worker members; Jayne Haines and Matthew Percival re-appointed as employer members; Simon Lewis, Ijeoma Omambala and Ben Summerskill re-appointed as independent members. Central Arbitration Committee – Naeema Choudry, Lisa Gettins, Laura Prince and Stuart Robertson re-appointed as deputy chairs; Joanna Brown, Nicholas Childs, Steve Gillan, Ian Hanson, Paul Moloney, Paul Morley and Claire Sullivan re-appointed as worker members; David Cadger, Mustafa Faruqi, Richard Fulham, Kieran Grimshaw, Alastair Kelly, Martin Kirke and Sean McIlveen re-appointed as employer members. Low Pay Commission – Janet Williamson appointed as worker member; Simon Sapper re-appointed as worker member; Matthew Fell and Louise Fisher re-appointed as employer members; Dr Patricia Rice and Jonathan Wadsworth re-appointed as independent members.
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Theatres Trust – Dave Moutrey re-appointed as chair for three years until 20 February 2028; James Dacre and Stephanie Hall re-appointed as trustees for three years until 20 February 2028.
• Ministry of Defence: Scotland Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee – Benjamin Cox, Gordon Michie and Alexander Rose appointed as members for three years until 31 January 2027.
• Department for Education: Office for Students – Prof Edward Peck named as preferred candidate to be chair, subject to a pre-appointment hearing before the Education Select Committee on 4 March.
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Great British Energy – Dan McGrail appointed as interim chief executive.
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Regional Flood and Coastal Committee –David Jenkins appointed as acting chair for Wessex for six months; Brian West Stewart re-appointed as the Anglian (Great Ouse) chair from 2 January until 31 May 2027; Martin Hurst re-appointed as the Southern chair from 1 July until 30 June 2026; Richard Powell re-appointed as Anglian (Eastern) chair from 1 July 2025 until 30 June 2028.
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Dame Sarah MacIntosh appointed as British high commissioner to Australia from April, succeeding Victoria Treadell who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Alex Pinfield appointed His Majesty’s ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco from August, succeeding Simon Martin. Neil Bradley appointed as British high commissioner to the Republic of Namibia from April, succeeding Charles Moore who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Charles King appointed as His Majesty’s ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia from May, succeeding Michael Nithavrianakis.
• Department of Health and Social Care: Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation – Prof John Wildman appointed as chair for three years from 1 March. Care Quality Commission – Prof Sir Mike Richards named as the government’s preferred candidate for chair, subject to a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing with the Health and Social Care Committee. Commission on Human Medicines – Prof Claire Stewart appointed as commissioner for four years from 3 March; Prof Amanda Adler and Prof Steve Cunningham re-appointed as commissioners for two years from 1 May; Prof Yvonne Perrie re-appointed as commissioner for four years from 1 May. Health Research Authority – Neelam Patel appointed as interim chair; Prof Andrew George’s term as non-executive director extended until 31 August and appointed as chair of the audit and risk committee; Mark Buswell, Prof Alastair Denniston and Marian Knight appointed as non-executive directors for three years.
• Home Office: Disclosure and Barring Service – Amanda Arrowsmith and Rob Eason appointed as non-executive directors for three years from 3 February. Offensive Weapons Homicide Review Oversight Board – Tim Goodson appointed as member.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Homes England – Mark Henderson and Patricia Ritchie’s term as members extended for nine months from 24 February until 23 November; Lesley-Ann Nash’s term as member extended for nine months from 28 February until 27 November.
• Ministry of Justice: Judicial Appointments Commission – Judge Clive Lane appointed as senior judicial commissioner for three years from 1 May.
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: UK Research and Innovation – Prof Sir Ian Chapman appointed as chief executive.
• Department for Transport: Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee – Damian Bridgeman, Mark Cutter, Carly Danesh Jones, Mary Doyle, Paul Finnegan, Dr Miro Griffiths, Prof Mari Martiskainen, Rachael Mole, Ruth Murran, Maral Nozratzadeh, David Sindall, Zamila Skingsley and Edward Trewhella appointed as members. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency – Tim Moss appointed as chief executive from 31 March.
• HM Treasury: Monetary Policy Committee – Dr Swati Dhingra re-appointed as external member until 8 August 2028.
• Department for Work and Pensions: Office for Nuclear Regulation – Dr Nicola Crauford appointed as chair for five years from 1 March.

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons

• Environmental Audit Committee – Sammy Wilson added.

House of Lords

• Shaffaq Mohammed (Lib Dem) raised to the peerage as Lord Mohammed of Tinsley on 21 February. He will be introduced in the Lords on 11 March.
• Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill (Lab) retired from the Lords on 28 February.
• Lord Cryer stood down as a government whip and left the government.

Devolved Administrations

Scottish Parliament

• Standards Commission for Scotland – Malcolm Bell appointed as member.

Scottish Government

• Healthcare Improvement Scotland – Evelyn McPhail appointed as interim chair for one year from 1 April until 31 March 2026.
• Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland – Denise Loney appointed as legal member for three years until 31 January 2028.
• Lothian NHS Board – John Connaghan re-appointed as chair for four years from 1 August until 31 July 2029.
• Revenue Scotland – Ken Macintosh, Robert MacIntosh and Idong Usoro re-appointed as members of the board for three years from 1 June until 31 May 2028; Jean Lindsay re-appointed as member of the board for one year from 1 July until 30 June 2026.
• Risk Management Authority – Jim Farish re-appointed as member for four years from 27 May until 26 May 2029.
• Scottish Law Commission – Prof Gillian Black re-appointed as commissioner for three years from 22 April until 21 April 2028.
• Scottish Police Authority – Paul Edie, Alasdair Hay, Katharina Kasper and Fiona McQueen re-appointed as members for four years from 1 April until 31 March 2029.
• Scottish Water – Allan Clow appointed as non-executive member of the board for four years until 31 January 2029; Belinda Howell appointed as non-executive member of the board for four years from 1 September until 31 August 2029; Iain Lanaghan’s term as non-executive member of the board extended for six months from 1 April until 30 September 2025.
• Sportscotland – Moira Connolly, Jane Gotts, Andrew Kerr, Tony McDaid and Gillian Treasurer appointed as members for four years from 1 March until 28 February 2029.
• Tayside NHS Board – Carole Wilkinson appointed as Interim Chair for one year from 1 April until 31 March 2026.

Northern Ireland Assembly

• Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee – Aoife Finnegan added; Nicola Brogan discharged.
• Procedures Committee – Aoife Finnegan added.

Northern Ireland Executive

• Arts Council of Northern Ireland – Liam Hannaway’s term as chair extended until a new chair is appointed; William Leathem re-appointed as vice-chair until 31 January 2029; Paul Brolly, Joe Dougan, Laura McCorry and Gearoid Trimble re-appointed as board members until 31 January 2029.
• Northern Ireland Screen – Dr Ciara Chambers, Aaron Donaghey, Megan Earls, Dr Frank Ferguson, Tommy Martin and Eimhear O’Neill appointed as members to the board from 1 March; Bríd Ní Fhachtna, Dermot Lavery and Dr Ali Murat Akser appointed as members to the board from 1 July.
• Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company – Frank Allen appointed as chair of the Board from 1 March.
• Tourism NI – Ellvena Graham re-appointed for three years as chair from 1 July.

Local Authorities

• Epping Forest District Council – Georgina Blakemore stood down as chief executive due to ill health; Andrew Small appointed as acting chief executive.
• Enfield Council – Perry Scott appointed as interim chief executive from the end of March.
• Gloucestershire County Council – Jo Walker appointed as chief executive from 19 May; she is currently chief executive of North Somerset Council and will stand down from that role in May.

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