Secretary Of State Renews Appointments To The Parades Commission For Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State Julian Smith MP today announced that he has extended appointments to the Parades Commission of Northern Ireland.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Rt. Hon Julian Smith MP today announced that he has extended the appointments of Anne Henderson, Sarah Havlin, Paul Hutchinson, Colin Kennedy and Geraldine McGahey.
The terms will be extended from 1 January 2020 for a limited period of 12 months. This will provide resilience and continuity to the membership of the Parades Commission.
A competition to recruit a new chair and four members will launch in autumn 2020.
Notes to Editors
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:
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To facilitate mediation between parties on disputes concerning proposed parades and take appropriate steps to resolve them
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To issue determinations in respect of specific proposed parades
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.
Further information on the work of the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland can be found at:
https://www.paradescommission.org/
Biographies of each member being extended can be found at:
https://www.paradescommission.org/About-Us/Commission.aspx
Terms of Appointment
The positions of chair and member are part-time appointments.
The position of chair attracts a fixed remuneration of £50,000 per annum and members receive a sum of £22,000.
The appointments will be extended from 1 January 2020 for a period of 12 months until 31 December 2020.
These appointments are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment (OCPA).
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.
No appointee has undertaken any political activity within the last five years.
Statutory Requirements
These appointments are made by the Secretary of State with regard to the provisions set out in Schedule 1 to the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998.