ECNI Commissioner Extensions
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Rt. Hon Julian Smith MP has extended the appointments of four members of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Rt. Hon Julian Smith MP has extended the appointments of four members of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
The terms of office of Eileen Chan-Hu, Duane Farrell, Helen Ferguson and Jarlath Kearney have been extended for a three month period ending on 28 February 2020.
Notes to Editors:
The extensions are part of a long term strategy announced in 2018 by the then Secretary of State to introduce a more staggered approach to future appointments and improve business continuity. A competition is underway to recruit a number of new Commissioners who will take up office from 1 March 2020.
Biographies of Appointees
Biographies can be found at:
https://www.equalityni.org/HeaderLinks/About-Us/Our-structure
Terms of Appointment
The positions are part-time. The position of Commissioner attracts an annual remuneration of £5,000. These positions are non-pensionable.
Political Activity
All appointments are made 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 within the last five years to be made public. Eileen Chan-Hu stood at the local council elections in 2014 as a NI21 candidate and Jarlath Kearney is a former Sinn Fein party member and Special Advisor.