PRESS NOTICE Embargoed to 10.00am on 2 February 2009

PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS IN NORTHERN IRELAND Members of the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission.

The Lord Chancellor has appointed a judicial member and a lay member to the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission with effect from 2 February 2009 until 14 June 2013.

District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) Amanda Henderson is appointed to the Commission. She will replace Presiding District Judge Fiona Bagnall, who resigned from the Commission in May 2008.

Dr Nichola Rooney is appointed as a lay member of the Commission. Dr Rooney will replace Dame Joan Harbison CBE DBE who resigned as a lay member of the Commission with effect from 31 January 2009.

Notes for Editors

Jack Straw MP is the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.

The Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission was established in June 2005 to recommend appointments to judicial office up to and including High Court judge. The Commission is a Non-Departmental Public Body funded by Government through the Northern Ireland Court Service and is located at Headline Building, Victoria Street, Belfast, BT1 3GG. Its web site address is www.nijac.org.

Under the chairmanship of the Lord Chief Justice for Northern Ireland, Sir Brian Kerr, the Commission comprises thirteen members, including the Lord Chief Justice, 5 other members of the judiciary, 5 lay members, a barrister nominated by the General Council of the Bar for Northern Ireland and a solicitor nominated by the Law Society for Northern Ireland. As of 2 February 2009, the Commission will be made up of 8 men and 5 women and in terms of community balance, 7 are regarded as Catholic, 3 are regarded as Protestant and 3 are regarded as belonging to neither community.

Non-judicial Commissioners and the lay magistrate judicial member are paid such fees and allowances as the Lord Chancellor may determine. The daily rate is currently £294, or £147 for 4 hours or less. Commitment to the Commission will be on average 2-3 days a month. The judicial members are not remunerated.

With effect from 2 February 2009 membership of the Commission will be:

The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Sir Brian Kerr.
Mrs Sinead Burns, Lay Magistrate.
The Right Honourable Lord Justice Coghlin, Lord Justice of Appeal.
Peter Cush, Barrister at Law.
Donal Flanagan OBE, Lay Member.
John Gordon, Solicitor.
District Judge Amanda Henderson (Magistrates’ Courts).
Mrs Ruth Laird, Lay Member.
Her Honour Judge Loughran, County Court Judge.
Professor John Morison, Lay Member.
Raymond Mullan OBE, Lay Member
Dr Nichola Rooney, Lay Member
The Honourable Mr Justice Weatherup, High Court Judge.

The Commission has 4 key statutory responsibilities:

to conduct the appointments process and make recommendations to the Lord Chancellor in respect of all appointments up to and including High Court judge;.
to recommend candidates on the basis of merit using transparent procedures to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that appointments to listed judicial office are such that those holding judicial offices are reflective of the community in Northern Ireland;
to engage in a programme of action, so far that it is reasonably practicable to do so, to ensure that a range of persons reflective of the community in Northern Ireland is available for consideration by the Commission for appointment; and
to publish a report annually on its activities.

Pen Pictures

District Judge Amanda Henderson,

Career/Experience:
Judge Henderson was educated at Queen's University, Belfast. She was called to the Bar in 1984 and was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1996. She was appointed as a Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) (formerly known as Deputy Resident Magistrate) in 2002 and was appointed as a District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) in 2005.

Public and other Appointments Held and Remunerations Received:

No public or other appointments held currently.

Dr Nichola Rooney

Career/Experience:
Dr Rooney has been a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in the Health Service for 17 years and for the past 8 years she has worked as a senior manager at the Royal Hospitals Belfast. She is currently Head of Psychological Services for the Belfast Trust. From 2002 - 2004 Dr Rooney was appointed by the Minister for Health as a member of the Human Organs Inquiry Relative's Reference Group. She has been involved in a number of Department of Health Committees for Policy Development, most recently in relation to the organisation and delivery of Psychological Therapies in Northern Ireland.

Dr Rooney is Chair of the Division of Clinical Psychology Northern Ireland and a member of the Executive of the Division of Clinical Psychology UK.

Her research in the area of Child Psychology has been disseminated through publication in academic journals and presentations at national and international conferences.

As an honorary senior lecturer at Queen's University Belfast Dr Rooney has lectured frequently on post-graduate medical and clinical psychology doctorate courses. She is a member of the Board of Studies for the Clinical Psychology Doctorate.

Public and other Appointments Held and Remunerations Received:

Dr Rooney is a Governor of St. Dominic’s Grammar School. Belfast. (No remuneration is received for this).

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 (if any is declared) to be made public. Neither of these appointees has carried out any political activity in the past 5 years. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice.

If you have any queries regarding the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission please contact:
Patricia Quinn
Press Office
Communications Group
Northern Ireland Court Service
Laganside House
23-27 Oxford Street
Belfast
BT1 3LA

Tel. 028 90412387
Mob. 07780680838
Email. pressteam@courtsni.gov.uk