Appointments to the Northern Ireland Police Fund
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The Department of Justice has made a number of appointments to the
Northern Ireland Police Fund. Mervyn Storey has been appointed as
Chairperson Jonathan Craig has been reappointed as a Board Member
Detective Superintendent Michael Hanna has been appointed as the
statutory nominee of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of
Northern Ireland Christine McLaughlin, Leanne McCullough and
Alistair McGowan have been appointed as Board Members....Request free trial
The Department of Justice has made a number of appointments to the Northern Ireland Police Fund.
These appointments have been made following an open competition regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments Northern Ireland. Justice Minister, Naomi Long said: “I would like to congratulate the Chairperson, board members and nominee on their appointment to the Board of the Northern Ireland Police Fund. Their skills will add to the collective wealth of knowledge and experience of the fund, and I want to wish them well in their roles.” NIPF is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Department of Justice. The NIPF provides financial assistance, advice, support and care to members and former members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC, the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC Reserve, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve and their families and dependents, who have been killed or injured by terrorism. Notes to Editors 1. The NIPF Board shall consist of a Chairperson and six Board members. One of the Board members is nominated by the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and one is nominated by the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, subject to the approval of the Department. 2. The procedure for the appointment of Board members is compliant with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Northern Ireland Code of Practice. The appointments are made by the Department of Justice taking account of its statutory duty under The Northern Ireland Police Fund Regulations 2016. Current membership of the NIPF Board is as follows:
3. The tenure for the Chairperson and Board Member commenced on 1 April 2024 for a period of up to 4 Years. 4. The tenure for the Statutory Nominee of the Chief Constable commenced on 1 August 2024 for a period of up to 4 Years. 5. The tenure for the three Board Members commenced on 1 November 2024 for a period of up to 4 Years. 6. Renumeration for the Chairperson is £6,000 per annum. 7. The Board member posts do not attract remuneration. 8. The appointment of the Chairperson and Board members is made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Details of the declaration in relation to political activity are included below. Biographies Mervyn was born in Armoy and attended the local primary school before moving to Ballymoney High School, where he has served as a member on the Board of Governors. First elected as a local Councillor in 2001, Mervyn represented North Antrim in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2003 until 2022, during which time he was appointed Minister for Social Development (2014-16), Minister of Finance (2016), Chair of Stormont's Justice and Education Committees. He is a former member of the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Board and the NI Policing Board. Mervyn is currently a Board member of the Education Authority. Mervyn was co-opted onto Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council in August 2022; were he still currently serves as a Councillor. Political Activity: Active member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and former DUP MLA. Jonathan Craig, formally Senior Engineer at Bombardier for 20 years. Married with two children, educated at Dromore High School, Friends School and the University of Ulster. A Councillor in Lisburn City Council from 2001 to 2011, Mayor in 2005/2006. Councillor in Lisburn Castlereagh City Council 2016 to present serving as Chair of the Leisure and Community Development Committee and serves as a member of the Planning Committee and the Audit Committee. A former MLA from 2007 to 2016, Jonathan has been the DUP lead on the Northern Ireland Policing Board serving for five years and served on the Education Committee for six years. Jonathan serves on the Board of Governors of Seymour hill Primary school and presently is a Board Member of the Education Authority and a board member of the N.I. Police Fund. Jonathan is a lifetime Honouree member of Autism N.I. an Autism champion having helped steer the Autism Bill through Stormont. Political Activity: Active member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and former DUP MLA. Detective Superintendent Michael Hanna Detective Superintendent Hanna is a serving police officer of over 32 years' experience. He joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC in January 1992 and was subsequently posted to Omagh sub-division in County Tyrone. He spent five years in rural policing before being transferred to Belfast where he worked in various roles across the city. He became a Detective in 1998 and continued in this role for a further 25 years reaching the rank of Detective Superintendent in 2020. During his career, Detective Superintendent Hanna has been highly commended and commended for his police work by three Chief Constables on five separate occasions. Detective Superintendent Hanna has completed the national Senior Leadership Development Programme and holds a Batchelor's degree in Management and Leadership and a master's degree in Contemporary History, specialising in Intelligence and Security studies. He was appointed to the permanent position of Honorary Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Superintendents' Association of Northern Ireland in 2024. Political Activity: None Christine McLaughlin Christine McLaughlin is a Social Worker who currently works in the Western Health and Social Care Trust. She has worked across a range of professional and managerial positions in Criminal Justice, Family and Childcare, Learning Development and Governance and Adult Learning Disability Services. In her various professional roles, where she was predominantly involved in strategically developing and managing services, Christine has had a particular focus on improving quality and corporate governance. Christine sits on the Board of Governors of a local Primary School. Political Activity: None Leanne McCullough After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse, Leanne gained a range of commercial experience from the textile and food production industries. These years honed her abilities to analyse the business environment, identify threats and opportunities and embrace change and organisational improvement: never needed more than when her role as Financial Controller in a local beef processing company coincided with the onset of the BSE crisis. Leanne's transition into the public sector came through a variety of interim placements within DCAL, InterTrade Ireland and the SELB, before a permanent appointment as Head of Corporate Finance in the newly created LPS agency. In 2011 she moved to the OFMDFM/Executive Office, in the wake of a qualification of its accounts and an adverse PAC report. In a newly created role as the Head of Corporate Governance, she embedded the principles of good governance in the guidance she developed, using a successful partnership rather than compliance approach. She retired in 2023. She brings an in-depth knowledge and skills relating to finance, governance and internal control matters to the Board. Leanne holds a BSSc (hons) from Queens; a JEB teaching qualification; post graduate Diploma in International Financial Reporting Standards and an MSc in Innovation Management in the Public Service, she also studied at Cranfield School of Business. Political Activity: None Alistair McGowan Mr McGowan is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Athletic Association & Newforge Community Development Trust, based at Newforge Lane Belfast. Over the last 10 years he has managed and driven the change at the Newforge Sports grounds from a very restricted site which was used almost exclusively by Police Officers and Staff during the height of the “Troubles” to a community facility used by all sections of our community. Mr McGowan secured £8m from the EU Shared Space Fund and £1m from Sport NI opportunity plus £2.5 m of commercial investment to transform Newforge to become a Shared Space for community use. In 2007 Mr McGowan initiated and led the successful bid to bring the World Police & Fire Games (WPFG) to Belfast in 2013. He subsequently became Chief Operating Officer for the Games, which were the most successful Games in the 50-year history of the WPFG. Mr McGowan is Chairman of the Harp & Crown Credit Union, a Governor at Ballyclare High School and is a recent Past President of the Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees. In 2022 he was awarded an MBE for Services to Sport & Reconciliation. Political Activity: None |