New Member appointed to the Parades Commission
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Rt. Hon Theresa Villiers MP today announced the appointment of Anne Marshall to the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland.
The appointment will take effect on 1 April 2015.
Ms Villiers said:
I am confident that Ms Marshall will bring experience and perspective to the job and make a valuable contribution to the ongoing work of the Parades Commission.
The Parades Commission was established in 1997 and took on its full powers in 1998 through the Public Processions (NI) Act 1998. The Commission has 2 fundamental responsibilities:
- To facilitate mediation between parties on disputes concerning proposed parades and take appropriate steps to resolve them.
- To issue determinations in respect of particular proposed parades and protests.
Under the terms of the Act, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible for making appointments to the Parades Commission. The appointments are made in accordance with paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 of the Act.
Biography of Appointee
Anne Marshall is a qualified solicitor with over 16 years’ experience and a Deputy District Judge (Criminal, Youth and Family Courts). She was a prosecutor with the Public Prosecution Service from 2012 – 2013 and senior Solicitor at the Children’s Law Centre during 2010. She currently sits as the legally qualified person on the Exceptional Circumstances Board and on the Board of Governors of Downshire Primary School.
Terms of Appointment
The position of member is part-time appointment.
The position attracts a fixed remuneration of £22,000 per annum.
The appointment will be from 1 April 2015 for a period of three years. However, if alternative parading arrangements were forthcoming, the terms of office may be brought to an early end.
Political Activity
All appointments are made on merit and with regards to the statutory requirements. 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 in defined categories to be made public.
Ms Marshall declared no political activity in the past ten years.
OCPA Code of Practice
The appointment process has been regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment (OCPA) and all stages of the process were overseen by an independent panel member.
Statutory Requirements
This appointment is made by the Secretary of State with regard to the equality provisions set out in section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and paragraph 2(3) of Schedule 1 to the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998.