The Secretary of State has today announced the reappointments of members to the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Julian Smith MP has reappointed three members to the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

In the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers, these reappointments were made possible by powers under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018.

Carol Fitzsimons MBE (originally appointed on 5 December 2016), Kathleen O’Hare, and Leslie Caul OBE (both originally appointed on 26 October 2015) have been reappointed for a further term of four years.

The Secretary of State said: “My absolute priority is to get Stormont up and running. 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 reappointments so that the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment can continue its important role advising government, monitoring standards and awarding qualifications.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

The NI Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is an Executive NDPB sponsored by the Department of Education. CCEA’s role is to keep under review and provide advice on the three areas of the curriculum, examinations and assessment. The Council’s membership comprises a Chairperson and 13 members.

The reappointments will commence on 26 October 2019 for a term of four years (unless terminated before that time). Members are not remunerated but can claim travel and subsistence allowances.

The re-appointments are as follows: Mrs Carol Fitzsimons MBE is currently Chief Executive Officer of Young Enterprise NI. She is an Associate Lecturer in the Open University within the Faculty of Business and Law and is also a Scout Leader. Mrs Fitzsimons brings to the Council experience of managing staff, operational delivery, developing strategic plans and financial and risk management. She is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Mrs Fitzsimons has declared that she has not undertaken any political activity during the last five years and does not currently hold any other public appointments.

Mrs Kathleen O’Hare is the former Principal of Hazelwood Integrated College. She brings to the Council experience in governance including strategic planning and a knowledge and experience of education in both the post primary and Higher Education sectors. Mrs O’Hare is on the Board of Belfast Metropolitan College and is Chair of their Curriculum Quality and Engagement Committee. She is a Director of the Integrated Education Fund and does some consultancy work on Leadership with the British Council. She has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years.

Dr Leslie Caul OBE has held senior positions in Stranmillis University College and over a period of 30 years has written books and academic articles on education. He has held the position of Chair of the Irish Football Association (IFA) since 2007. He brings to the Council experience in governance and strategic leadership and a knowledge and experience of education within the Further Education/Higher Education sector. Dr Caul does not hold any other public appointments and he has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years.

The re-appointments to CCEA were made in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland. Appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner requires the political activity of appointees to be published. (See relevant details under each candidate’s name).

Media enquiries in relation to CCEA to the Department of Education Press Office Tel: 028 9127 9207. Out of office hours, contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 99 715 440 and your call will be returned.

Ben Wallace travelled to NATO HQ to discuss emerging technologies and non-conventional warfighting with fellow defence ministers, and agreed plans to ensure that NATO forces are ready to respond at short notice.

Ministers also discussed the situation in north east Syria, as well as the ongoing missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At the final Defence Ministerial before the Leaders’ Meeting in December, the Defence Secretary hosted a discussion with his Ukrainian counterpart and the ‘Quint’ Group; the US, Canada, Lithuania and Poland. He held bilateral meetings with his German, French, Danish, Italian, Swedish, Turkish and Georgian counterparts.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

I am delighted to be attending my first NATO Defence Ministerial. We have discussed a range of important topics, from emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and hypersonic missiles, to the valuable work on security sector reform in Iraq.

Battlefield techniques are advancing rapidly, with our adversaries using increasingly varied methods to disrupt the international rules-based order. As an alliance we face complex security challenges, but NATO will continue to play a vital role in keeping the world safe and acting as a force for stability.

I look forward to the UK hosting NATO leaders in December, where we will celebrate NATO’s 70th anniversary and discuss how to further strengthen the alliance.

During the event, the Defence Secretary also presented NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, with a poppy, on the day that the Royal British Legion launched their 2019 Poppy Appeal, marking the sacrifice and service of the armed forces community.

The UK continues to have the largest defence budget in Europe and the second largest in NATO. Thousands of our Armed Forces personnel work every day with NATO allies across the world.

The UK has nearly one thousand personnel in the alliance’s command structure and contributes across NATO’s operations, from Afghanistan and Iraq to the Enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia and Poland, and air policing in Iceland and the Baltics.

In December the NATO Leaders’ Meeting will be held in London, which will see the alliance come back to its first home in its 70th anniversary year.

The European Commission has confirmed its original decision in 2014 to grant state aid approval for the Capacity Market, enabling it to be restored and payments that have been suspended since November 2018 to be made.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has written to National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) and the Electricity Settlements Company (ESC) to notify them of the Commission’s decision and confirm that the trigger for the resumption of capacity payments has occurred.

These bodies are required to restart all Capacity Market functions that had been suspended during the standstill period.

Date: Wednesday 6 November 2019

Venue: San Siro Stadium, Milan, Italy

Kick off time: 9.00pm

As well as this advice, check out our travel advice for Italy

Passports and visas

• you don’t need a visa to travel to Italy, but your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay
• remember your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) but also take out travel insurance, even if you are only going for one night. It could save you a lot of money if you get into difficulties
• you must carry ID with you at all times – you’ll need to carry your passport to the match to gain entry to the stadium
• if you lose your passport, you’ll need to get an Emergency Travel Document from the British Consulate in Milan

Getting to the stadium

• please remember to validate your tickets before travel
• the San Siro Stadium can be reached from the centre of Milan by Underground (e.g., from Duomo get the Red Line M1 West – change at Lotto – get the Lilac line M5 getting off at San Siro Stadio)
• the journey time is around 30 minutes. A single ticket for the underground costs €2 and is valid for one journey. Tickets can be purchased from machines or newsstands at all underground stops
• tram no.16 also runs regularly from Duomo to the stadium. A single ticket for the tram costs €2 and is valid for 90 minutes from the first validation on all above-ground buses and trams

Local information and transport

At the match

• you should arrive at the stadium in good time as entry/security procedures may take some time to complete
• large amounts of coins, belts with large buckles and heavy cigarette lighters aren’t allowed in the stadium; check with Manchester City FC if you need more information about the stadium rules, forbidden items and rules on banners/flags
• at the end of the game, you’ll be asked to stay in the stadium for a short time to allow the home supporters’ area to be cleared
• the Italian government has a zero tolerance policy on hooliganism both inside and outside the stadium

Tips

• as in any other city beware of pickpockets and bag snatchers at airports, railway stations, around the town centre and when using public transport – only carry what you need and leave spare cash and valuables in hotel safety deposits
• if you’re travelling in a car, remember to always lock the vehicle and never leave valuables inside; hire cars and foreign registered vehicles are more of a target for thieves

Contact the British Consulate in Milan

Tel. +39 02 72 3001

For further information, please visit the British Consulate Milan website or UKinItaly Facebook

Emergency services numbers

• police (Carabinieri): 112
• ambulance: 118
• fire brigade: 115

Further information

This is the eleventh edition of the serious and organised crime (SOC) local partnerships bulletin for August 2019.

The SOC partnerships bulletin is released on a quarterly basis by the Home Office’s SOC policy group. If you have an article which you would like to feature in a future edition, or any feedback, suggestions or questions, please email SCOC.localpartnerships@homeoffice.gov.uk