The Secretary of State has approved the appointment of 48 members to the Parole Board, the re-appointment of one independent member and the extension of the appointments of 45 independent members.

The 48 new members comprise 27 independent, two retired judicial, 10 psychologist members and 9 serving judges. The independent, retired judicial and psychologist appointments follow the recent and highly successful recruitment campaign.

New appointments

Independent members

The following list of appointees commenced their tenure on 1 October 2019 for a period of 5 years:

• Maneer Afsar
• Ifty Ahmed
• Aysha Allibhaye
• Richard Bayly
• Zaiada Bibi
• Sarah Bodell
• Malcolm Brain
• Derek Bray
• Marcia Brooks
• Lyn Cole
• Rachel Craven
• Damian Hughes
• Akeel Hussain
• Murad Hussain
• Stephen Garrett
• David Gravells
• Sara Johnson
• Michael Mellun
• Jenny Mooney
• Sukbinder Rai
• Rachel Robertson
• Joanna Hinds
• Vicky Pails
• Shubhada Patil
• Rachel Pickering
• Vinnett Walsh
• Sheila Wright

In addition Kate Nickels was appointed from 1 November 2018 for a period of 3 years.

Retired judicial members

The Secretary of State has appointed Stephen Silber and Timothy King for a period of 5 years, commencing on 1 October 2019.

Psychologist members

The following list of appointees commenced their tenure on 1 October 2019 for a period of 5 years:

• Rachel Atkinson
• Taljinder Basra
• Aimee Croft
• Christopher Dean
• Gerhard Fritz
• Julia Houston
• Noreen Shami
• Sarah Snuggs
• Claire Thompson
• Victoria Tunbridge

Serving judicial members

The following list of appointees commenced their tenure on 1 October 2019 for a period of 3 years:

• Bernadette Baxter
• Rebecca Crane
• Ruth Downing
• David Farrell
• Vanessa Francis
• Andrew Jeffries
• Anthony Lowe
• Barbara Mensah
• Elizabeth Smaller

Reappointments and extensions

The Secretary of State reappointed Sarah Wells for a further term of 5 years from 1st December 2019 until 31 January 2024.

The appointments of the members and panel chairs listed below have been extended for a period of 2 years from 1 October 2019:

• Richard Baldwin
• Jane Christian
• Lucy Gampell
• Ronno Griffiths
• Glyn Hibberd
• Heidi Leavesley
• Brenda McAll-Kersting
• Celeste Myrie
• David Mylan
• Aruna Walsh

Retired judicial member extension

The appointment of Edward Slinger as a retired Judicial Member and panel chair has been extended for a period of 2 years from 1 October 2019.

The Parole Board’s functions and duties are set out in Section 239 and Schedule 19 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Parole Board members make risk assessments about prisoners to decide who may safely be released into the community or make recommendations for transfer to open prison conditions.

Appointments and re-appointments to the Parole Board are regulated – save for retired and serving judicial members – by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. These appointments have been made in line with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.

The Parole Board was established by the Criminal Justice Act 1967. It is an Executive Non- Departmental Public Body sponsored by MOJ.

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GLD recently welcomed 43 new legal trainees to embark upon an exciting career as a government lawyer. Our trainees have a packed training programme over the next two years to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need. By experiencing four different areas of practice, in both an advisory and litigation capacity, GLD trainees will experience a range of fascinating legal work – and may have the opportunity to participate in the legislative process itself.​

David Walters, currently seated in immigration litigation, said: “The highlight of my experience so far is getting to attend the prorogation Supreme Court case. For a trainee it was a once in a lifetime chance to get to sit in the courtroom with the government’s lawyers during one of the most important constitutional cases in recent history and an experience which I would be unlikely to have had if I was training elsewhere. I have also enjoyed being able to tackle cases of my own from a very early stage. Everyone in my team has been very supportive.”

Jane Saycell, currently seated in our Employment Team, said: “‘You are in the best place in the whole of GLD. Everyone here is really lovely…’ So said every member of my new team in the Employment Group as I was introduced on my first day in the office. A month down the line and, although I have nothing to compare to, everyone really is lovely! I have been involved in interesting and varied work – from joining calls with Counsel to giving presentations on unfair dismissal to Defra managers. It’s a steep learning curve and I’m looking forward to the remaining five months of my Employment seat.”

Lucy Sawyerr, currently seated in Immigration Team 4, said: “I have been surprised by the amount of responsibility that I have been given so early on which has meant I have learnt a lot in such a short amount of time. All of my team have been very welcoming, supportive and seem really invested in my development. It has also been really nice to have a friendly cohort of fellow trainees to share experiences with.”

Omer Hamid, currently seated in our Commercial Law Group, said: “I chose GLD’s trainee scheme because of the experiences I enjoyed most at university, namely internships at commercial law firms and in the policy side of the civil service. This was the perfect combination of the two. I also wanted a job which straddled both law and politics. So far GLD has not disappointed – in less than a month here, I’ve witnessed a change of minister and a (pretty important) Supreme Court case! I’m looking forward to the rest of my seat at DWP and a long career as a GLD lawyer.”

For more information on our Legal Trainee Scheme, visit the Government Legal Profession guidance page.

The Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, with the agreement of the Prime Minister, has today announced the appointment of Jim Harra as the new Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Jim was formerly the Second Permanent Secretary at HMRC, and has been covering the role of Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary on an interim basis since Sir Jonathan Thompson moved to become Chief Executive of the Financial Reporting Council.

Welcoming Jim Harra’s appointment, Sir Mark Sedwill said:

As Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary, Jim will continue building on the excellent work he has already set in motion at HMRC. I know that he will provide strong leadership to one of the biggest departments in the Civil Service, and his appointment reflects not only the huge contribution to public service he has made to date, but also the wealth of departmental knowledge he will bring to the role.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid said:

I’m delighted that Jim Harra has been appointed as Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary of HM Revenue and Customs. I’ve worked closely with Jim as we have prepared Britain for Brexit, and his experience and expertise mean he’s the right person to lead HMRC at this crucial time.

Jim Harra said:

I’m thrilled to take on the role of HMRC’s Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary, particularly at such a critical time. I have a deep respect for colleagues within this department and am proud that they are recognised as among the best in government. I’m very much looking forward to tackling the challenges and opportunities that we’ll face, together, including continuing our progress towards making HMRC the best tax and customs authority in the world.

Notes

• This appointment has been made by the Prime Minister with the agreement of the Chancellor for the Exchequer and Cabinet Secretary. It follows an internal recruitment exercise.

• Jim Harra has been interim Chief Executive since 1 October 2019 and Second Permanent Secretary since January 2018.

• Previously Jim held the dual role of Tax Assurance Commissioner and Director General Customer Strategy and Tax Design in HMRC.

• Jim Harra’s career began in HMRC’s predecessor, the Inland Revenue as a tax inspector in 1984, and held a number of director-level positions becoming director general for business tax in 2012.

• Arrangements to appoint a successor as Second Permanent Secretary will be announced in due course.

Published 29 October 2019

Buses around Great Britain will become more accessible for disabled passengers thanks to a new partnership with the Real Time Information Group (RTIG), announced today (29 October 2019).

The group, which supports good practice in the use of communications technology on public transport, will work with the Department for Transport to allocate £2 million of funding to small bus operators for audible and visible on-board information.

With around 50% of public transport journeys made on buses, this funding will help to ensure that passengers can board more buses with greater confidence, knowing where they are and when to get off.

It coincides with the launch of the It’s everyone’s journey campaign, the first stage of a new government-backed initiative to highlight the part we can all play in improving disabled people’s experiences when using public transport.

The department is now calling on charities, transport operators, and commercial organisations to join the campaign, helping to raise awareness of the needs of disabled travellers and share some of the improvements being made to make travel easier for the one in 5 disabled people in the UK.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

It is unacceptable that people still feel they cannot travel by bus, because of a lack of basic route and destination information on board local bus services.

This partnership is the next step in ensuring that passengers have the information they need to travel confidently on local bus services throughout Great Britain.

However, we know there is more to do which is why I’m delighted we’re also launching our It’s everyone’s journey campaign today and I invite as many partners as possible to join up so that everyone has equal access to public transport.

Accessibility Minister Nusrat Ghani said:

Transport is at the heart of how we live our lives, and I am determined that we remove any barriers faced by disabled people.

Every passenger, regardless of where they travel in Great Britain, should be able to do so confident that they have boarded the correct vehicle and are travelling to the right place.

That’s why it’s fantastic to announce this partnership with the Real Time Information Group today, and I hope this funding will help more buses meet the needs of the people who rely on them every day.

The fund for the provision of audio and visual information on-board buses was announced as part of the government’s Inclusive Transport Strategy which aims to provide equal access to the transport network by 2030.

Operators of local bus services are likely to be required to have audio and visible information systems in their vehicles, and this funding is intended to help small operators which might find this costly to implement.

With audio visual equipment only available in limited areas, and predominantly provided by larger operators, the department expects this funding to benefit up to 30 small bus operators.

Tim Rivett, General Manager at the Real Time Information Group said:

Audio visual information helps reduce barriers to travel and increases confidence in public transport for all passengers, but particularly disabled passengers.

RTIG is looking forward to working with the department to help small operators roll out audio visual information and provide the customer benefits more quickly than would otherwise happen.

In the first phase of It’s everyone’s journey, the campaign will work with partner organisations to communicate the improvements that are happening at a local and national level to make public transport more accessible and inclusive of disabled people.

It will be followed by a public advertising campaign early in 2020 that will challenge how we all use public transport and encourage everyone to reflect on how common, and often unconscious, behaviours can impact others.

This is another commitment in the Inclusive Transport Strategy and is the next in a series of improvements by the Transport Secretary to create a more accessible transport network, helping disabled people travel safely and with confidence.

Martin Harris, Brighton & Hove and Metrobus’ Managing Director, said:

We’re right behind the DfT’s strategy and we welcome it wholeheartedly. Everybody deserves to feel happy and confident while they travel. The best way to make buses more accessible is to keep listening to the experts: our passengers and our communities.

Our entire fleet (440 buses) is ‘talking buses’, where passengers can see and hear next stop and other announcements, such as diversions. We introduced them in 2016 after one of our visually impaired passengers told us she had alighted at the wrong stop several times and it was making her anxious.

A study commissioned by Department for Transport to investigate how access to transport affects the life opportunities and wellbeing of people living in England found that access to public transport has a wide-ranging positive impact on people’s lives.

The research, carried out by NatCen and the University of the West of England, published today along with 2 other studies (Transport, health and wellbeing and Transport and inequality), found public transport is important for being able to access services like healthcare, food shops and education.

The government recently announced a major package of new measures worth £220 million, which will invest in new ways to ensure more flexible public transport such as express lanes for buses, to start in the West Midlands.

The long term funding plan for the upcoming long-term bus strategy – a first for the UK – is expected at the 2020 spending review.