Secretary of State announces appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant MP announces the reappointment of Chief Commissioner Alyson Kilpatrick and the appointment of four new Commissioners.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Right Honourable Sir Chris Bryant MP, has announced the reappointment of the Chief Commissioner (Alyson Kilpatrick) to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission with effect from 1 September 2026.
In addition, he has announced the appointment of four new Commissioners (Orla Drummond, Gavin Gray, Ben Warwick and Jacqueline Witherow) to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission with effect from 1 September 2026.
Background
The NIHRC was created by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, as part of the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement. Its powers and duties stem from the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007.
The NIHRC was established in 1999. It is a public body independent of Government. It operates as an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Northern Ireland Office.
Appointments to the NIHRC are made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The NIHRC is a National Human Rights Institution with ‘A’ status accreditation from the United Nations (UN). Its powers are set out in legislation and its responsibilities as a National Human Rights Institution are in compliance with the UN General Assembly Resolution 48/134 (The Paris Principles).
The NIHRC’s functions include keeping under review the adequacy and effectiveness in Northern Ireland of law and practice relating to the protection of human rights and promoting understanding and awareness of the importance of human rights in Northern Ireland. The NIHRC also plays a key role in the dedicated mechanism, established under Article 2 of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union, working with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
Further information about the work of the Commission can be found at: https://nihrc.org/
Terms of Appointment - Chief Commissioner
- The position is full time for a period of five years.
- The reappointment will take effect from 1 September 2026 for a period of five years.
- The positions receive a fixed annual remuneration of £114,845.
- The position is pensionable.
Terms of Appointment - Commissioners
- The positions are part-time for a period of three years.
- Appointments will take effect from 1 September 2026 for a period of three years.
- The positions receive a fixed annual remuneration of £7,500.
- The positions are not pensionable.
Biography of the Chief Commissioner can be found on the Northern Ireland Human Right Commission website: https://nihrc.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-people
Further biographies for each of the new Commissioners are outlined below:
Orla Drummond is currently a Research Manager and Human Rights Lawyer with Trilateral Research. She has been the Coordinator and Principal Researcher for the EU Horizon Europe-funded SALVUS Research Project. Her previous experience includes serving as a Parliamentary Researcher and Human Rights Advisor at the Northern Ireland Assembly, as well as holding roles as Research Manager for the Commission for Victims and Survivors and Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast. She holds a PhD in Law and an LLM in Human Rights Law.
Gavin Gray serves as a Lay Panel Member of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) within the First-tier Tribunal (Department of Justice NI) and is a stakeholder advisor of the Northern Ireland Assembly All Party Group for STEM. He has held several senior education roles, including Education Manager for Post Primary Curriculum and for Physics and Science at CCEA, and Director of the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education. Additionally, he has held Deputy and Assistant Headteacher positions and is a former Trustee and Chair of Council for the Association for Science Education.
Dr Ben Warwick is a human rights lawyer and senior academic who currently serves as a Reader in Human Rights Law at Birmingham Law School and Deputy Director of Education for the College of Arts and Law. He is a Lead Quality and Standards Assessor for the Office for Students, an expert subject assessor for the Quality Assurance Agency and has been a consultant trainer for the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) and the OSCE. His previous consultancy work includes engagements with both the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. He holds a PhD in Human Rights Law and has published widely on the subject.
Dr Jackie Witherow is the Founder and Managing Director of Witherow Consultancy and was recently appointed as a Board Member of the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression. She formerly served as the Director of UK Nations and Country Director for Northern Ireland for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). Her governance experience also includes serving as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee at the Community Relations Council.
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.
All of the appointees have declared that they have not been politically active in the last five years.
Regulation
These appointments are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment (OCPA).
Statutory Requirements
The Secretary of State makes appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in accordance with the Northern Ireland Act 1998.