Bruce Calderwood is a trustee of the Avenues Group, a charity specialising in supporting people with complex needs. He was for many years a senior official in DWP in a wide range of roles. He ended his civil service career as the director in the Department of Health responsible for policy on mental health, disability and equality. In this role he led the team which created the 2010 to 2015 coalition government’s mental health strategy and its review of services for learning disabled people following the Winterbourne View scandal. He chairs inspections of mental health trusts for the Care Quality Commission and is an instructor in Mental Health First Aid for the Armed Forces Community.

David Chrimes

David has been a practising barrister for over 25 years, currently as a Crown Advocate in the Crown Prosecution Service. In more recent years, he has developed expertise in employee representation, as a trade union representative. He is a member of the FDA trade union’s Executive Committee, where he chairs its Equality and Organising Committees. He has previously been a member of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Disabled Workers Committee. David is the Social Security Advisory Committee’s representative of workers.

Carl Emmerson

Carl is Deputy Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). He is an editor of the annual IFS Green Budget, and his research includes analysis of the UK public finances and the design of the tax and benefit system, in particular relating to state and private pensions. He has previously served as a specialist adviser to the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee.

Chris Goulden

Chris Goulden is Deputy Director of Policy and Research at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. He is a former social researcher at the Home Office and Cabinet Office. Chris has also been a cancer researcher in the NHS, a member of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills Policy Expert Group and a member of the Social Research Association Board. He has a masters degree in social research methods from South Bank University.

Phil Jones

Phil has been the Director of Prince’s Trust Cymru since June 2016. Previously, Phil was the Wales Area Manager for The Royal British Legion during the time of the charity’s transformation. Before that, he served in the Armed Forces for over 25 years as an officer in The Royal Welsh.

Dr Jim McCormick

Dr Jim McCormick is the Scotland member of the Social Security Advisory Committee. He is Associate Director for Scotland with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and an advisory board member to Business in the Community (BITC) Scotland. In February 2017 the Scottish Government appointed Jim as chair of the independent Disability and Carers’ Benefits Expert Advisory Group. He was previously a member of the Commission on Local Tax Reform and Director of independent thinktank the Scottish Council Foundation (SCF).

Gráinne McKeever

Gráinne McKeever is an executive director and former chair of the Law Centre, Northern Ireland, a not-for-profit specialist advice organisation. She is a Professor of Law and Social Justice at Ulster University and has published widely in the areas of social security law and access to justice. She is the assistant editor of the Journal of Social Security Law and currently teaches social security law and policy to undergraduate and postgraduate law students. Gráinne is the director of Ulster University’s Law Clinic, through which postgraduate law students provide social security advocacy for members of the public.

Dominic Morris

Dom has advised senior decision makers and military commanders in strategy and change management on welfare’s frontline and in war zones. His passion for welfare reform is a deeply personal one. Serious illness forced Dom to give up flying in the RAF. Living with chronic pain, he started his work in the welfare system with the Prince’s Trust and Millennium Volunteers getting young people back in to work. Such was the effect on him that he stood for Parliament, advocating the need to get welfare reforms right in order to get more young people into work and tackle the disability employment gap.

Seyi Obakin OBE

Seyi is the Chief Executive of Centrepoint, a leading national charity working with young people who have experienced homelessness. He is a chartered accountant and has worked in corporate banking and a wide range of social housing provision. He has also been involved in research and inquiries into family life and the support families need, lifelong literacy and youth enterprise. He is currently a Non-executive Director of HM Prison and Probation Service.

Judith Paterson

Judith has worked in the field of social security law and advice for more than 25 years and is currently leading a Scotland-wide, second tier welfare rights service for the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland. Judith is a member of the independent Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group, appointed by the Scottish Government.

Charlotte Pickles

Charlotte (Charlie) is a Theme Editor (Renewing Capitalism) at UnHerd. Her previous roles include:

Deputy Director and Head of Research at the Reform think tank
expert adviser to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions during the 2010 to 2015 coalition government
Director of Policy at the Centre for Social Justice
working in the public sector practice of a global management consultancy

Liz Sayce OBE

Liz was the Chief Executive of Disability Rights UK until 31 May 2017, leading work to achieve equal participation for all, through programmes on independent living, career opportunities and shifts in cultural attitudes and behaviour. With a background in mental health and disability policy, previous roles include:

Director of Policy and Communications at the Disability Rights Commission
Policy Director of Mind

Liz led an independent review into disability employment programmes for government in 2011 and has published widely on mental health, disability and social participation. Liz is also:

a non-executive board member of the Care Quality Commission
a member of the committee of Healthwatch England
a member of the Disability Advisory Committee of the Equality and Human Rights Commission

Victoria Todd

Victoria is Head of the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) team, part of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. In that role she oversees LITRG’s work across a range of tax and associated social security issues. Victoria also leads LITRG’s work on tax credits, Universal Credit and childcare. She is a member of the Association of Tax Technicians and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

Contents

Membership

Meeting dates 2019

Minutes of meetings

2018

2017

2016

Older minutes

Professor Sir Ian Diamond – chair of the committee

Bruce Calderwood