Tag: Northern Ireland Office

The press release issued by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 14 December 2023.

Statement follows plenary session with the four Executive parties at Hillsborough Castle.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris MP has this evening (Wednesday 13 December) chaired another plenary session with the four Executive parties at Hillsborough Castle.

Speaking later, he said: “I would like to thank the parties for their thorough and constructive engagement over the last three days.

“The Government has outlined a fair and generous package which could assist a returning Executive to stabilise its finances and protect public services.

“Over the course of our discussions, a number of points have been raised which require further clarification, including the need for firmer proposals from the parties for how a restored executive plans to deliver the transformation of public services.

“We will be continuing our dialogue with the parties on these issues over the coming days, with the single focus of seeing the return of a locally elected and accountable devolved government.”

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 12 December 2023.

The Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP, has announced the appointment of new Tourism Northern Ireland (Tourism NI) Board Members.

The Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP, has announced the appointment of Ms Karly Greene, Mr Michael Counahan and Mr John Hood as new Tourism Northern Ireland (Tourism NI) Board Members. In the absence of Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive, these appointments were made under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022.

The new members took up post with effect from 27 November 2023.

These new Members will bring a wealth of private and public sector experience to the Board of Tourism NI to the benefit of the local tourism sector. The successful candidates have extensive backgrounds in such areas as corporate governance; financial management; strategic thinking; business improvement and the hotel and hospitality industry, and their significant knowledge and skills will play a key role in ensuring that this important sector goes from strength to strength in what promises to be an exciting time for tourism in Northern Ireland.

Biography

Karly Greene has been the Director of Strategic Development and Partnerships at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland since November 2020. She is responsible for developing the Arts Council’s strategic, corporate and business plans and for research, policy and advocacy. Karly also has responsibility for ensuring the Arts Council meets its statutory requirements in relation to equality and inter-agency co-operation with other public bodies.

Karly has over thirteen years of experience across the public, private and voluntary sectors in using research and data to inform strategy, policy and executive decision making, having previously worked as Head of Research & Equality Services in the NI Housing Executive and Research Director with Quadrangle.

Karly is passionate about using research insights to implement change and demonstrate impact with a focus on equality, social justice and involving customers and underrepresented people in the strategy design process. She is also a trustee on the board of Housing Rights and former chairperson of Nexus NI.

Michael Counahan is managing director of CHL Consulting Co. and has more than 38 years’ professional experience in tourism, cultural heritage and the arts. During this time, he has worked on tourism development projects throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Middle East and South-East Asia. His consultancy work includes strategic planning for public and private sector organisations, economic planning, project analysis and management, and business planning. Particular areas of activity in recent years include tourism destination planning, visitor attraction development and operations, and land/building asset utilisation.

He has worked on many tourism development projects in Northern Ireland including acting as project leader on the development of Titanic Belfast. He co-founded AVEA, the Association of Visitor Experiences & Attractions, which now has a membership of 103 leading attractions, and Michael is company secretary. He is also a director of Pipeworks Music, formerly the Dublin International Organ & Choral Festival.

John Hood has over 23 years’ in-depth experience in investment, marketing and economic development. For the last 10 years he was the Director of the Food; Drink & Tourism Division at Invest NI where he delivered a number of key tourism accommodation and development projects in Northern Ireland, as well as delivering significant growth across the food and drink sector. In October 2023 he was appointed as a Non-Executive Director to the Board of the Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland which is remunerated at £6,485 per annum.

Details of body

Tourism NI has responsibility for the development of tourism products and experience across Northern Ireland and is also responsible for the marketing of Northern Ireland as a tourist destination to visitors within Northern Ireland and from the Republic of Ireland.

Tourism NI’s primary responsibility remains the marketing of Northern Ireland on the Island of Ireland and working with partners to attract visitors from across the globe. However, it also continues to play a vital role in supporting recovery of the tourism and hospitality industries from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and setting them on the path back to sustainable growth. Going forward the organisation will make an important contribution to the Department for the Economy’s 10x economic vision and aims to ensure that tourism contributes to the creation of a dynamic, competitive economy.

Further information on the work of Tourism NI can be found at: Tourism NI

Terms Of Appointment

The appointments will be for 3 years commencing on 27 November 2023. Members are expected to attend Board meetings, sub-committee meetings and other events, amounting to at least 1 day per month. In addition, Members will be expected to attend occasional evening engagements. Remuneration is £5,471 per annum. The roles are non pensionable.

Regulation

In the absence of Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive, these appointments were made under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022, and in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland (CPANI) Code of Practice.

Political Activity

None of the appointees have declared any political activity in the last five years.

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 12 December 2023.

The Secretary of State, the Rt Hon. Chris Heaton-Harris MP, has today announced the appointment of Mr Stephen Welch as the new Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority and Mr Maynard Mawhinney and Siobhan McCauley as Board Members. In the absence of Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive, this appointment was made under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022.

The new Chairperson and two Members will take up their positions on 18 December 2023.

Stephen Welch has extensive experience in the public, private and third sectors at strategic and Board level. He has worked in a number of senior roles across the Defence, Government administration, Higher Education and Health Sectors, specialising in Capital Development, Estate and Facilities Management, Procurement, Contract Management, and Risk Management. Stephen is currently a Non-Executive Member of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and chair of its Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.

Maynard Mawhinney has held a number of senior roles in the agri-food industry, as a Director and Business Consultant and Coach, with expertise in marketing and growth. He is an experienced Board Member and currently holds a Non-Executive Director position on the South-Eastern Health & Social Care Trust and is the current Chair of the College Advisory Group (CAG) at the College of Agriculture, Farming and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE). He has also recently been appointed to Chair the review of roles and responsibilities of Councillors in NI.

Siobhan McCauley brings significant experience from senior roles across the public and private sectors.  With a background in tourism, economic and business development, she has considerable experience in financial management, corporate governance and strategic planning, most recently from her long-standing role as the Director of Regional Services at the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and before this, Director of Product Development at the Northern Ireland Tourist Board of the Signature Projects which included the Titanic and Causeway Visitor Attraction.

Details of body

The Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority is an Executive non-departmental public body (Executive NDPB) sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).  It was established in 1973 under the Harbours Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 and the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority Order (Northern Ireland) 1973 and has responsibility for the fishery harbours and harbour estates of Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie.

Terms Of Appointment

• The Chair role requires approximately 30-32 days per annum.
• The Member role requires approximately 16-18 days per annum.
• The Chair and Member appointments to the NIFHA are for a four-year term.
• The Chairperson post is remunerated at £10,776 per annum and the Member positions are remunerated at £5,099 per annum.

Regulation

The procedure for these appointments is designed to adhere to the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.  This means that the process will be based on merit after a fair, open and transparent process that involves independent scrutiny.  A copy of the code can be found at:

https://www.publicappointmentsni.org/

Political Activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. None of the appointees have declared any political activity in the last 5 years.

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 11 December 2023.

Ahead of leading a roundtable discussion with the main NI political parties, the Secretary of State highlights the need for financial stability and sustainability in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, said:

“As Secretary of State, my focus has always been on delivering for the people of Northern Ireland, who expect and deserve locally elected decision-makers to address the issues that matter to them.

“To that end, for a number of months the UK Government has been working to address the DUP’s concerns on the Windsor Framework.

“I continue to engage with the DUP and, as I have said before, these discussions are making progress but I am not going to provide a running commentary.

“Alongside those negotiations, I am now convening the Northern Ireland party leaders here today at Hillsborough Castle to talk about ensuring financial stability and sustainability for Northern Ireland.

“I want to agree the basis upon which the Northern Ireland Executive can return on a stable financial footing.

I also want to ensure that public services are able to meet the needs of the people of Northern Ireland.

“The UK Government is willing to help, but all these issues can best be addressed by the return of locally accountable institutions built on secure foundations.

“And I hope our work together over the next few days will do exactly that.”

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 10 November 2023.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland invites applications for the appointment of a new member of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland invites applications for the appointment of a new member to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Further details about the role of Commissioner, including terms of appointment and an application pack are available for download at:

https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/7904

Alternatively, an application pack or alternative formats can be requested by email to ecni2023@nio.gov.uk

All applications should be submitted via the Cabinet Office website at https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles

The closing date for applications is  1 December 2023.

Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Equality of Opportunity

Appointments will be made on merit and with regard to the equality provisions set out in Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. We encourage applications from all sections of the community.

The press release issued by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 8 November 2023.

Up to £15 million of reallocated funding made available in Northern Ireland to respond to flooding – supporting affected businesses and aiding clean-up costs.

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 27 October 2023.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland invites applications for the appointment of a new member of the Northern Ireland Ireland Human Rights Commission.

Further details about the role of Commissioner, including terms of appointment and an application pack are available for download at:

https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/7773

Alternatively, an application pack or alternative formats can be requested by email to nihrc2023@nio.gov.uk.

All applications should be submitted via the Cabinet Office website at https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles

The closing date for applications is 17 November 2023. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted

Equality of Opportunity

Appointments will be made on merit and with regard to the equality provisions set out in Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. We encourage applications from all sections of the community.

The press release issued by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 26 October 2023.

The Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP, has today announced the appointment of a new Chair and seven new Board Members to National Museums Northern Ireland.

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 24 October 2023.

The Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP, has today announced the appointment of a Chairperson and five Members to the Livestock and Meat Commission Board.

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 13 October 2023.