Three new advisers to take on strengthened role.
First Minister has appointed three new
independent advisers to the Scottish Ministerial
Code.
They are:
- Claire Loftus, former Director of Public Prosecutions in the
Republic of Ireland
- Sir John Manzoni, former Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary
and Chief Executive of the Civil Service
- Sir Ernest Ryder, former Lord Justice of Appeal and Senior
President of Tribunals
Current advisers Lady Eilish Angiolini and James Hamilton have
stepped down having served for more than a decade in the role,
with the First Minister thanking them for their service.
Changes to the remit of independent advisers will be set out
alongside a new Scottish Ministerial Code, which will be
published shortly.
First Minister said:
“Independent Advisers to the Scottish Ministerial Code play a
vital role in upholding the highest standards of integrity and
propriety.
“Having served as Independent Advisers for 13 and 11 years
respectively, Lady Eilish Angiolini and James Hamilton have made
significant contributions to the role. I am grateful to them both
for their dedicated public service.
“I look forward to working with Claire Loftus, Sir John Manzoni
and Sir Ernest Ryder and welcome the expertise and knowledge they
will bring to the role.
“The new Scottish Ministerial Code will further strengthen
transparency, accountability and independent scrutiny, with
independent advisers able to launch their own investigations
where they consider that necessary.”
Background
On 4 September the First Minister announced plans for the
Ministerial Code to be
strengthened.
Biographies
Claire Loftus is the former Director of Public
Prosecutions in the Republic of Ireland. She succeeded James
Hamilton, outgoing independent adviser on the Scottish
Ministerial Code, as Director of Public Prosecutions in November
2011 and served for 10 years. She commenced her career
as a prosecutor in 1993.
Ms Loftus served on a Committee of Experts at the Council of
Europe from March 2022 to September 2024. In April 2024 she was
appointed to the first
Board of Cuan, a new statutory agency set up to tackle
domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence in Ireland. She was
confirmed on 15 October as a member of the new Board of
Directors for An Garda Siochana (the Irish police force), part of
a reform of governance and oversight of the Irish police force.
Claire Loftus qualified as a solicitor in Ireland in
1992. She holds an MSc in Public Sector Management from
Trinity College Dublin (2002).
Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder, former Lord Justice of
Appeal and Senior President of Tribunals. Sir Ernest was called
to the Bar in 1981 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1997. He
became a Recorder in 2000 and a Deputy High Court Judge in 2001.
Sir Ernest was appointed a High Court judge in 2004 and was
allocated to the Family Division. In April 2013, he was promoted
to Lord Justice of Appeal. He became Senior President of
Tribunals in September 2015 and retired from that role in
September 2020. He was appointed a trustee of the Nuffield
Foundation in September 2014. In January 2014, he was installed
as Chancellor of the University of Bolton and in July 2020, Sir
Ernest became the Master of Pembroke College,
Oxford.
Sir John Manzoni is a former senior civil
servant and business executive who served as Chief Executive of
the civil service and the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary from
2014 to 2020. Prior to joining the civil service he was a group
Vice President at oil and gas company, BP. In 2007, Sir
John left BP to become the President and Chief Executive Officer
of Talisman Energy, an oil and gas exploration and production
company. Sir John was appointed a Non-Executive Director of
Diageo plc on 1 October 2020 and is Chair elect. He is also
Chairman of SSE plc; Chairman of the Atomic Weapons Establishment
(to end 2024); and Non- Executive Director of KBR,
Inc.
