New Chief Commissioner Les Allamby Begins Post

The new Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Les Allamby, starts his first day in post today. His first week in post will begin launching public hearings into Accident and Emergency care in Northern Ireland.

NIHRC Chief Commissioner Les Allamby stated:

“I am delighted to begin my new role as Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission. This week I will be chairing public hearings into Accident and Emergency Care in Northern Ireland as part of the Commission’s Human Rights Inquiry into Emergency Care in Northern Ireland. This is just one vital piece of work the Commission has undertaken, amongst many.

I look forward to what the role of Chief Commissioner brings and to continuing the organisation’s work of promoting and protecting the rights of everyone in Northern Ireland.”

ENDS

Further information:

For further information please contact Claire Martin on Claire.Martin@nihrc.org

Notes to editors

1. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory body first proposed in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement (1998) and established in 1999 by the Northern Ireland Act (1998). It is answerable to Parliament at Westminster.

2. Les Allamby is a solicitor and formerly Director of the Law Centre (Northern Ireland). Les’ current appointments include vice chair Social Security Advisory Committee; Chair of immigration sub group (OFMDFM) and he was appointed honorary Professor of Law at the University of Ulster last year. He is also currently a member of Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership (Home Office) and Vice Chair of Community Foundation for Northern Ireland. From 2000, he was Chair of advisory group to Human Rights Commission on proposals for economic and social rights within a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. He was formerly the Chair of the Social Security Standards Committee for Northern Ireland, a member of the Legal Services Commission (Northern Ireland) and a member of the Legal Services Review Group. He has undertaken election monitoring for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and International Organisation for Migration in Bosnia, Pakistan and Georgia.

3. Terms of appointment: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible for appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. Appointments are made in line with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice. Les Allamby is appointed to the position of Chief Commissioner on a full-time basis; however, he will work part-time for the first few weeks of his appointment. He will receive remuneration of £65,442 per annum.

4. Les Allamby has been appointed for a period of five years and will take up office from 1 September 2014. Grainia Long, Christine Collins, John Corey, Milton Kerr, Alan McBride, Marion Reynolds and Paul Yam have been reappointed for a further three years, until 31 August 2017.

5. The first public hearings into Accident and Emergency Care take place in Belfast on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th September from 12.30-6.30pm at the Youth Action Building. You can find a list of all forthcoming hearings at: http://www.nihrc.org/inquiry