Dame Heather Hallett appointed as the new Chair of the Security Vetting Appeals Panel.

The Prime Minister has approved the appointment of Dame Heather Hallett as the new Chair of the Security Vetting Appeals Panel, with effect from 1 April 2019 for a period of four years. She will replace Sir George Newman who is retiring from the Panel after 10 years of service.

The Rt Hon Dame Heather Carol Hallett DBE was called to the Bar in 1972. In 1989 she became a QC and was the first woman to chair the Bar Council in 1998. After becoming a Presiding Judge, she was promoted to the Court of Appeal in 2005. Lady Justice Hallett acted as Coroner at the inquest into the deaths of the 52 victims of the 7th July 2005 London bombings, and was appointed by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in 2015 to conduct the “Review into On the Runs”.

Commissioners will be key to ensuring organisation is all set for the future of forestry

Defra Ministers have appointed three new Non-Executive Commissioners to Forestry Commission England

Jennie Price CBE, Peter Latham OBE and Liz Philip have been appointed for three years commencing on 1 April 2019.

The Commissioners will play a pivotal role in establishing a strong, sustainable future for the organisation, enabling it to set out with confidence on the road to the next 100 years of forestry in England.

The Forestry Commission (FC) is a non-Ministerial Government department established nearly a century ago as a body serving Great Britain (GB). In 2013, Natural Resources Wales took over most of FC’s functions in Wales, and the Scottish Government will take over FC’s functions in Scotland this year, which means that from this point on the FC’s work will be primarily in England.

Forest Research will continue to operate across GB, and the whole FC will remain an outward looking, connected organisation, engaging with the forest industry and other national and international partners and stakeholders, and delivering research and other services to Scotland and Wales by agreement with the devolved governments.

All appointments to Forestry Commission England are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. The appointments comply with the Ministerial Code of Governance on Public Appointments. There is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if significant) to be declared. All three appointees have declared that they have not taken part in any political activity in the past five years.

Details about the Forestry Commission management structure can be seen at: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/forestry-commission

Biographical details:

Jennie Price

Until recently, Jennie Price was the CEO of Sport England. Jennie is a qualified lawyer and has previously been the CEO of WRAP, a Defra-supported environmental organisation specialising in recycling and resources management. She retains an active interest in sport and is Chair of the recently formed international supervisory board on integrity in tennis. She is also Chair of Youth United Foundation and a trustee of the Canal and River Trust. Jennie brings considerable expertise in engaging wide sectors of the community in outdoor activities and has an excellent understanding of the links to health and well-being.

Peter Latham

Peter Latham is currently the Chair of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification International (PEFC), a Director of Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux (ATIBT) and a trustee of the Commonwealth Forestry Association. He was previously CEO and Chairman of the timber distributor James Latham Plc. Peter brings extensive knowledge of the timber industry and experience of successful stakeholder engagement on an international level.

Liz Philip

Liz Philip is a recently retired Principal of two agricultural colleges, including Newton Rigg in Cumbria which was established as the National School of Forestry in 1969. Liz was a founding member of the National Land-Based College and was a Chair and Board Member at Higher York, which unites the city’s education and public bodies. She is currently a governor at Selby College. Liz brings a good understanding of the complexities of farming and forestry and their contribution to the rural economy.

The government-funded scheme provides GPs and others providing NHS services for general practice with comprehensive, automatic cover for clinical negligence claims.