Government’s preferred candidate for the role of First Civil Service Commissioner

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has today confirmed Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston as the preferred candidate for the role of First Civil Service Commissioner.

Baroness Stuart began her career in the private sector, working in publishing and bookselling in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Baroness Stuart then worked as a government Minister under the Labour government in 1999-2001, sat on the Security and Intelligence Committee and later Chaired Vote Leave in 2016. From 2017, Baroness Stuart has contributed to public life with non-partisan roles. This includes roles at the Royal Mint, Birmingham City University and as the lead Non Executive Board Member at the Cabinet Office. Baroness Stuart now sits as a Crossbench Peer where she operates independently, outside of a party-political framework.

The recommendation follows a fair and open recruitment process following the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Pre-appointment scrutiny by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) will follow shortly. Following the recommendations of the last review of the Civil Service Commission, the criteria for appointment emphasised the need to act independently of the Civil Service and for a broad range of experiences from outside of Civil Service roles. Candidates were also required to demonstrate how they would uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life.

Ian Watmore stepped down as First Civil Service Commissioner on 30 September 2021 as his five-year, non-renewable term ended. The campaign for the First Civil Service Commissioner launched in August and the Prime Minister has authorised Rosie Glazebrook to carry out the functions of First Commissioner from 1 October 2021 until the vacancy is filled.

The Rt Hon Steve Barclay, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said:

I am delighted to confirm Baroness Stuart as the preferred candidate for the office of First Civil Service Commissioner. Baroness Stuart has all the attributes, experience and independence of judgement needed to lead the Civil Service Commission highly effectively.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ian Watmore for his work as First Civil Service Commissioner over the last five years and also extend my thanks to Rosie Glazebrook for carrying out the functions of the office while we recruit Ian’s successor ”.

Following a pre-appointment hearing, PACAC will publish their recommendations, which the government will consider before deciding whether to finalise the appointment.

Notes to Editors:

Baroness Stuart has been Cabinet Office Lead Non-Executive Board Member (since 2020) and has stepped down today; Chair of the Board and the Advisory Council, Wilton Park (an Executive Agency of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) (since 2018). Appointed to the House of Lords as a non-affiliated Peer (September 2020) and subsequently joined the Crossbench group of Peers. Previously Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston (1997-2017), Chair of Board of Vote Leave (2016), and Minister in the Department for Health (1999-2001).
The Panel for the campaign, part nominated by the Civil Service Commission, was made up of:
- Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary
- Sarah Healey, Permanent Secretary, DCMS
- Lord Kakkar, independent of government and the Civil Service Commission
- Sue Langley, Lead Non-Executive, Home Office and Chair of Gallagher UK
The Triennial Review (2014) into the Civil Service Commission stated at 3.22 that: “in future there would be clear advantages for its Chair to be perceived to be independent both of the Civil Service and the Government and have a background wider than that of the Civil Service”.

Published 9 December 2021
Last updated 9 December 2021 + show all updates

9 December 2021
Title amend
9 December 2021
First published.

All foreign-owned waste at Sellafield packaged and set for return

The work is part of the closing out of commercial reprocessing contracts.

Sellafield received spent nuclear fuel from around the world to be reprocessed at its Thorp plant, generating £9 billion in revenue for the UK.

Waste created during the process remains the property of overseas customers who are contractually obliged to take it back.

Before it’s returned, Sellafield converts the waste, known as highly active liquor, into glass. The process, called vitrification, makes it more stable and easier to handle.

It’s then packaged into metal containers and ‘pre-attributed’ at Sellafield’s Residue Export Facility. This means it’s weighed, cleaned, inspected, and monitored for gamma radiation, and then set down for storage.

The work began in 2008. In total, 1,840 containers have been prepared and cleaned.

Tony Meggs, Sellafield Ltd chairman, visited the plant to celebrate the completion of the process.

He said:

It was great to meet the team who have achieved this important milestone.

This is another significant step towards achieving Sellafield’s purpose of creating a clean and safe environment for future generations.

Stuart Pearson, Sellafield Ltd’s head of high level waste plants, said:

Our teams have shown resilience, determination and nuclear professionalism to overcome a range of operational challenges, including maintaining operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have delivered on our commitment to our overseas customers.

More than half have been sent back to customers in Japan, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The remaining containers will be sent back to Japan, Germany and Italy over the next 6 years. Japan is the biggest customer, with half of all containers returning there.

Waste returns are managed by Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS).

Sam Wilkinson, NTS communications director said:

This is a fantastic achievement that sets a strong foundation for NTS to safely and securely transport vitrified waste to our overseas customers in the coming years.

The way we transport this material is tried and tested, and we know that by continuing to work closely with Sellafield we can continue to deliver good progress in this important programme.

Sellafield’s vitrification plant will continue to operate into the 2030s to manage the UK’s inventory of highly active liquor.

Food Allergens Risk Assessment Part 2

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This e-seminar was compiled by Benjamin C Remington, PhD, and follows on from the e-seminar, “An Introduction to Food Allergen Risk Assessment”

Following “An Introduction to Food Allergen Risk Assessment”, this e-seminar, compiled by Benjamin C Remington, PhD, examines the topic of food allergen risk assessment options through the use of case studies, specifically looking at the risk of an unintended allergen presence (UAP) and introducing the concept of probabilistic risk assessment.

The e-seminar is intended for individuals currently working within the food allergen testing arena, the food industry and those involved with the UK official control system.

The production of this e-seminar was co-funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland and the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, via the Government Chemist, under the Joint Knowledge Transfer Framework for Food Standards and Food Safety Analysis.

Food Allergens Risk Assessment Part 2

Published 9 December 2021

CNC welcomes government response to consultation on service expansion

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The Government has published its response to the consultation on Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) service expansion

The consultation asked interested parties for their views on expanding Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) services beyond the civil nuclear sector, enabling the CNC to become more agile in helping other police forces to protect the public.

A Chairman of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority (CNPA) Vic Emery said: “We welcome the government’s positive response to the consultation on CNC service expansion. We are pleased that the vast majority of inputs made to the consultation were supportive of the organisation’s ambitions.

“Whilst the CNC’s core mission will always remain the protection of civil nuclear sites and nuclear material, the proposals outlined in the consultation would also enable us to improve efficiency and greatly enhance the support we can provide to our partners and to other police forces, ensuring that the wider police service is working together to maximise public safety.

“We look forward to working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to take these proposals forward.”

The government response to the consultation is available on the CNC website

Published 9 December 2021

New Zealand hosts virtual meeting of the Quintet

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The annual meeting of the five Attorneys-General from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States was held this year by video conference on 2 and 3 December 2021.

The annual meeting of the five Attorneys-General from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States was held this year by video conference on 2 and 3 December 2021.

Though it is the second time the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented the Quintet from meeting in person, Attorneys-General were able to meet virtually to progress this important work.

The meeting, chaired by the Hon David Parker from New Zealand, brought together the Hon Michaelia Cash (Australia), the Hon David Lametti (Canada), the Hon Suella Braverman QC MP (England and Wales) and the Hon Merrick Garland (the United States of America) to discuss and share information about complex legal issues, in which they have a mutual interest.

Attorney General for England and Wales, the Rt. Hon. Suella Braverman QC MP, said:

It’s been an honour to meet my Quintet counterparts and discuss our shared goals to protect the safety of our citizens. We stand together in the face of challenges like the pandemic, terrorism and foreign interference, bound by a mutual respect for the rule of law.

The Attorneys-General discussed their respective institutions’ responses to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, ways to enhance cooperation to address foreign influence and foreign interference in democratic processes, and the approaches each country takes in seeking to prevent terrorist acts.

The Quintet Communiqué jointly issued at the conclusion of the meeting is available here:

Quintet Communiqué

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Published 9 December 2021