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:

• To facilitate mediation between parties on disputes concerning proposed parades and take appropriate steps to resolve them

• 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.

An FCO spokesperson said:

The UK welcomes the signing of the Riyadh Agreement between the Government of Yemen and the Southern Transitional Council.

Recognising the difficult political, humanitarian and security situation in the South of Yemen, we applaud the efforts of Saudi Arabia in seeking to re-establish security and stability in the region.

We fully support the Saudi-mediated Riyadh Agreement as a positive and important step towards a comprehensive political solution for Yemen.

Published 5 November 2019

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister spoke to President Sisi of Egypt this afternoon.

The leaders welcomed the recent lifting of restrictions on flights from the UK to Sharm el Sheikh as the first step towards services resuming and emphasised the importance of close co-operation between the UK and Egypt on security.

The two leaders agreed to continue to work together to strengthen the relationship between the UK and Egypt, particularly in areas of trade and education. The Prime Minister welcomed the opening of three new British university campuses in Egypt.

Published 5 November 2019

The United Kingdom recognises Bolivia’s progress since its 2014 review and welcomes their support to the Call of Action to End Human Trafficking, Modern Slavery and Forced Labour.

We note the new law passed in 2016, allowing transgender citizens to request having their name, gender and photo changed on official documents to reflect their identity.

However, we are concerned by the substantial shortcomings in the conduct of the presidential and legislative elections in October this year.

Furthermore, we urge the Government to increase efforts to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking and provide adequate support for victims. We also urge the Government to ensure anti-discrimination legislation is fully enforced.

We recommend that Bolivia:

1. Guarantee political rights in Bolivia by proceeding to a second round in the presidential elections.

2. Respond to the recommendations of the Subcommittee of Prevention of Torture to establish a national preventive mechanism that enjoys complete financial and operational autonomy in the performance of its functions.

3. Ratify and implement the International Labour Organization’s 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (P029).

Published 5 November 2019

Three new appointments to the board of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have been made by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury today (5 November).

Liam Coleman, Alice Maynard CBE and Tommaso Valletti will take up roles as Non-Executive Directors to the board of the FCA. Alice Maynard was jointly appointed by HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. They will each serve three-year terms beginning today, 5 November 2019.

The Economic Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, said:

The FCA has a vital role in ensuring our financial sector keeps people safe and that firms put customers at the heart of their decisions.

So, I am delighted to announce these new appointments to the FCA Board. Their wealth of experience and expertise will be incredibly valuable to the crucial work of the regulator.

Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority, Charles Randell, said:

I’m delighted to welcome such an impressive group of new non-executive directors to the FCA Board. They have extensive combined experience both in financial services and a range of public service organisations. As the FCA continues to adapt to deliver its Mission effectively in our rapidly changing world, its Board will continue to provide essential support and challenge.

The new members will bring a variety of experience and knowledge to the Board.

Liam Coleman has held senior leadership roles in banking, including as the CEO of the Co-Op Bank. He is currently chair of Great Western Hospitals NHS Trust.

Alice Maynard has wide ranging experience as a non-executive director and advisor across a range of regulated industries. She is currently a Board member at HMRC and Transport for London and previously was chair of the charity Scope.

Tommaso Valletti is a highly experienced competition and regulatory economist, who has varied experience across academia, multilateral development banks and, most recently, as one of the two most senior competition experts at the European Commission.

Further information:

• The Financial Conduct Authority is the conduct regulator for 59,000 financial services firms and financial markets in the UK and the prudential regulator for over 18,000 of those firms.

• The current FCA Board members are:

  • Andrew Bailey – executive FCA Board member and Chief Executive

  • Catherine Bradley CBE – non-executive FCA Board member

  • Amelia Fletcher OBE – non-executive FCA Board member

  • Baroness Hogg – non-executive FCA Board member

  • Charles Randell CBE – Chair of the FCA

  • Nick Stace – non-executive FCA Board member

  • Sam Woods – non-executive FCA Board member

  • Richard Lloyd OBE – non-executive FCA Board member

  • Christopher Woolard – executive FCA Board member and Director of Strategy and Competition

• As required by the Financial Services Act 2012, HMT is responsible for appointments to the FCA Board, along with the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for two of the Non-Executive Directors.

• These appointments were regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.