The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt. Hon Karen Bradley MP, has announced the reappointments of the Chair and four members of the Board of the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) for Northern Ireland. In the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers, the reappointments were made possible by powers under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018.

Gerard McGivern has been reappointed as Chair and Harry Sinclair, Jim Lennon, Oonagh Chesney and Gerry Maguire have been reappointed as members for a further term of three years.

The Secretary of State said:

My absolute priority is to see the restoration of the Executive at the earliest opportunity.

In the interim my responsibility is to ensure good governance and stable public services in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland.

I am therefore pleased to make these appointments so that the Board can continue to support the LMC in its important mission of supporting, examining and informing the marketing and development of the Northern Ireland beef and sheep meat industry

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland

The LMC was established under the Livestock Marketing Commission Act (NI) 1967. It is an Executive NDPB and is sponsored by DAERA’S Agri Food Policy Branch. The LMC was established in 1967 and has the general duty of assisting the development of the livestock (cattle and sheep) and livestock products sectors of the local agri-food industry. It provides a range of services to producers and meat traders including market intelligence and undertakes promotional activities. It also administers the Farm Quality Assurance Scheme and market support arrangements for beef and lamb in Northern Ireland.

LMC Reappointments

These reappointments are made in accordance with The Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland’s “Code of Practice”. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is acting under the auspices of section 5(1) of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018, as amended by the Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019. Provision for the LMC is set out in the Livestock Marketing Commission Act (Northern Ireland) 1967. The Board is sponsored by the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs.

The role of a Board member of LMC is remunerated at around £6,500 annually, the role of Chair of the LMC Board is remunerated at around £17,345 annually.

Biographies of Appointees

Biographies, showing the range of skills and experience which the members bring to these roles, can be found on the Livestock and Meat Commission website. The Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires that other Ministerial public appointments held by appointees are published. Gerard McGivern is a Non Executive Director for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, for which he receives £7960 per annum remuneration. Harry Sinclair is a board member for the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (where he is Chairman for the Farm Safety Partnership) for which he receives £3770 per annum remuneration.

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. Jim Lennon has declared that he supported the SDLP party during the 2015 general election. Other appointees declared no political activity.

Please be aware that the Planning Inspectorate recently changed its email address. All Planning Inspectorate email addresses now end with @planninginspectorate.gov.uk Our old email address ending of @pins.gsi.gov.uk will remain live for a period of time and all communications sent to @pins.gsi.gov.uk email addresses will be automatically forwarded to the new address. In the meantime, we recommend that you update your records and templates with the new @planninginspectorate.gov.uk email address as soon as possible.

We note with great concern the statement made by Iran concerning its commitments under the JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

We remain fully committed to the preservation and full implementation of the JCPoA, a key achievement of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, which is in the security interest of all.

We strongly urge Iran to continue to implement its commitments under the JCPoA in full as it has done until now and to refrain from any escalatory steps.

We reject any ultimatums and we will assess Iran’s compliance on the basis of Iran’s performance regarding its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPoA and the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons). In this respect, we recall the key role of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) monitoring and verification of the implementation by Iran of its nuclear-related commitments.

We also look to Iran to continue to adhere to established JCPoA formats and mechanisms including the JCPoA Joint Commission.

At the same time we recall our own firm commitments under the agreement including as regards sanctions-lifting for the benefit of the Iranian people. In this regard, we regret the re-imposition of sanctions by the United States following their withdrawal from the JCPoA.

We are determined to continue pursuing efforts to enable the continuation of legitimate trade with Iran, including through the operationalisation of the special purpose vehicle “INSTEX”.

We call on countries not party to the JCPoA to refrain from taking any actions that impede the remaining parties’ ability to fully perform their commitments.

The government has stepped in to speed up vital cladding replacement by fully funding the work, eliminating excuses used by some building owners and protecting leaseholders from the costs.

Around £200 million will be made available to remove and replace unsafe aluminium composite material cladding from around 170 privately owned high-rise buildings.

This step has been taken after private building owners failed to take action and tried to offload costs onto leaseholders.

Prime Minister, Theresa May said:

It is of paramount importance that everybody is able to feel and be safe in their homes.

That’s why we asked building owners in the private sector to take action and make sure appropriate safety measures were in place.

And we’ve seen a number of private building owners doing the right thing and taking responsibility, but unfortunately too many are continuing to pass on the costs of removal and replacement to leaseholders.

Today I can confirm we will now be fully funding the replacement of cladding on high-rise private residential buildings so residents can feel confident they are secure in their homes.

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, said:

Although temporary measures are in place to ensure people living in these buildings are safe, too many owners are treating this as a permanent fix. Others are trying to pass on the costs to residents by threatening them with bills running to thousands of pounds.

While some building owners have been swift to act, and I thank them for doing the right thing, I am now calling time on the delay tactics of others. If these reckless building owners won’t act, the government will.

The government appreciates the work of Grenfell United and the UK Cladding Action Group who have campaigned prominently, outlining the challenges in getting private building owners to fund the replacement of cladding on their homes.

The government has already fully funded this work in social housing developments. However, private developers and freeholders have been too slow to act and leaseholders have been threatened with significant, often unaffordable, costs resulting in delays.

The latest figures show that 166 private buildings are yet to start works on removing and replacing ACM cladding, compared to 23 in the social sector.

Building owners will have 3 months to access the new fund. We will look carefully at those who fail to remediate and consider what further action can be taken.

Building owners and developers who have already fully funded the remediation of buildings are Pemberstone, Aberdeen Asset Management, Barratt Developments, Fraser Properties, Legal & General, Mace and Peabody.

As a condition of funding, we will require the building owner to take reasonable steps to recover the costs from those responsible for the presence of the unsafe cladding.

For the purposes of this press release, high-rise buildings are defined as those above 18 metres in height.

Following the Grenfell Tower fire, the government identified 176 private high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding. According to the most recent data compiled by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 10 of these buildings have completed work to replace the cladding.

The fund will be available for private high-rise residential buildings (those containing homes). The government is already fully-funding the replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on social sector properties.

Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the government established a comprehensive building safety programme that included an independent review of fire safety and building regulations. Plans outlined on 18 December 2018 explain how the government will implement the recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt in her review of building regulations and fire safety.

Building owners will be able to register for the fund by early July.

The Programme and Project Partners (PPP) model is set to revolutionise project delivery at Sellafield, through newly established long-term partnerships.

The Sellafield nuclear site is home to one of the most complex portfolios of construction projects in the world, stretching over many decades.

The new approach will support the transformation of the company from a nuclear operator into a world leader in environmental remediation.

The partnership is made up of 4 ‘lots’, and the contracts have been awarded to:

• Kellogg Brown and Root Ltd (KBR)– Integration partner
• Wood – Design and Engineering partner
• Morgan Sindall Infrastructure – Civils Construction Management partner
• Doosan Babcock Ltd – Process Construction Management partner

Sellafield Ltd will work collaboratively with the 4 lot partners, to deliver major projects in support of the site’s 100-year decommissioning programme.

The new approach is set up to support faster, more effective project delivery, stability in design and construction supply chains, greater workforce flexibility, and local economic benefit.

Paul Foster, CEO for Sellafield Ltd, said:

The award of the PPP contracts marks the start of a new, and very different, journey for Sellafield Ltd and our supply chain partners.

Our number one priority is making Sellafield safer, sooner, and a key part of this is establishing closer relationships with other expert organisations.

Working side by side with our 4 long-term partners, as one team, will help transform the way we deliver projects safely, quickly, and cost effectively.

The new approach also provides huge opportunities for our communities, through 20 years of sustainable employment in the design and construction supply chain, enhancing the skills of the workforce, while helping realise the economic ambitions of our community, to achieve its unlimited potential.

I’d like to congratulate Kellogg Brown and Root Ltd, Wood Nuclear Limited, Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure Ltd and Doosan Babcock Ltd.

We look forward to working in partnership to progress the safe, secure completion of our clean-up mission.

Stuart Bradie, President and Chief Executive Officer of KBR said:

As a pioneer of collaborative working and forging strong alliances, KBR is delighted to have been selected to partner with Sellafield on this enduring project, which will place us at the heart of the customer’s delivery team.

Bob MacDonald, CEO of Wood’s Specialist Technical Solutions business, said:

We already have a deep, shared history with Sellafield and this new appointment provides a platform for us to assist with safe and secure operation and clean-up over the next 2 decades. We are looking forward to working with Sellafield and our partners to maximise socio-economic benefits for local communities.

John Morgan, Chief Executive of Morgan Sindall Group, said:

Our long-standing relationship with Sellafield is very important to the Group. We’re delighted to have secured this opportunity to continue to cement our relationship over the next 20 years.

We look forward to working in partnership with Sellafield Ltd, together with our supply chain, to keep enhancing the local communities where we work.

Andy Colquhoun, CEO of Doosan Babcock commented:

We are delighted to have signed the contract on PPP and look forward to collaborating with Sellafield Ltd and the other 3 partners to meet the significant decommissioning challenges which lie ahead.