This appointment is for a further term of five years ending on 31 May 2028.

Biography

Deirdre Toner’s background is in Senior Leadership as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director positions in the voluntary and public sector, focusing on mental health and community development. A graduate of public policy and later human rights law, Deirdre has over 30 years of experience of leading organisations, and 20 years of board and chair experience in the public sector in health and justice. Deirdre is currently a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

Terms of Appointment

• The position receives remuneration of £16,000 per annum for Chairing Civil Service Commissioner meetings and participation in Commissioner’s business as required by the Civil Service Commissioners (NI) Order.
• The position is not pensionable.

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.

Mrs Toner has declared that she has not been politically active in the last five years.

Regulation

Appointments to the Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland are not regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Statutory Requirements

Appointments to the Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland are made under the provisions of section 36 (1) of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.

This appointment is for a further term of three years ending on 30 September 2026.

Biography

Leslie Philpott is a Chartered Accountant with a background in public finance and leadership at senior executive levels. He is a former Chief Executive of the Office for Nuclear Regulation and had previously held senior roles in Health and Safety Executive. His portfolio of non-executive experience includes membership of the NEBOSH Board, Mid-Cheshire NHS Trust, Benenden Healthcare Society and Board of the Government Actuary’s Department.

Terms of Appointment

• The position is a part-time appointment for a duration of three years.
• The position attracts a fixed remuneration of £12,500 per annum for a commitment of approximately 20 days per year.
• The position is not pensionable.

Regulation

This appointment is not regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Political Activity

Non-Executive Directors to departmental boards are appointed on merit and 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.

Mr Philpott has declared that he has not been politically active in the last five years.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has issued a marine licence to the Virgin Orbit satellite launch project.

Virgin Orbit proposes to conduct a maximum of one launch in 2022 and approximately two launches per year over the next 8 years (January 2023-December 2030).

The licence issued by MMO covers the 2022 launch, the first of its kind in the UK. As there is material to be deposited into the sea that will be loaded in the UK, the activity requires a marine licence from MMO, as required by The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.

The decision is a result of close collaboration between MMO and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and follows public consultations which were carried out earlier this year.

Trudi Wakelin, Director of Licensing, Marine Planning and Global Marine at the Marine Management Organisation said:

As the independent marine manager and regulator for England’s seas, it’s important that we review any potential environmental impacts before issuing marine licences.

On this occasion, we have worked with primary advisers, interested parties and members of the public during the consultation period to ensure any potential impacts were considered and appropriately assessed.

This enabled MMO to issue the marine licence to the Virgin Orbit project, in preparation for their planned launch later this year.

Copies of the Marine Licence application and associated information may be viewed online in the MMO public register. Case reference MLA/2022/00134. Additional information is also available from MMO’s selected cases page for this marine licence..

At the request of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, spoke with his Russian counterpart, General of the Army Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov, this afternoon.

The Chief of the Defence Staff rejected Russia’s allegations that Ukraine is planning actions to escalate the conflict, and he restated the UK’s enduring support for Ukraine.

The military leaders both agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the UK and Russia to manage the risk of miscalculation and to facilitate de-escalation.

The conversation followed the Defence Secretary’s call with his Russian counterpart yesterday and a call between the Foreign Ministers of France, the UK, and the USA last night.