This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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SEPA Board appointments
17/01/2003
Three new members were today appointed to the Board of
the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Deputy
Environment and Rural Development Minister Allan Wilson
also re-appointed three Board members for a second
term.
The posts are part-time and currently attract a
remuneration of £5,779 for a time commitment of 2 days per
month. This salary is subject to annual review by the
Scottish Executive. All six appointees take up appointments
which run from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2005.
SEPA was established as an executive non-departmental
public body (NDPB) under the Environmental Protection Act
1995, with responsibility for environment protection in
Scotland. It became fully operational in 1996, has a total
projected expenditure of £45.275 million for 2002-03 and
employs around 870 staff at 21 locations across Scotland.
The Agency operates within a framework agreed with the
Scottish Ministers. Its aim is to provide an efficient and
integrated environment protection system for Scotland which
will both improve the environment and contribute to the
Executive's goal of sustainable development.
The new appointments are:
Russell Imrie is a Labour councillor on
Midlothian Council. During most of his working life, from
1965 to 1999, he was a telecom engineer with British
Telecom. As a local councillor he has become heavily
involved in environmental issues and is currently COSLA
spokesperson on waste management and Vice-Chair of REMADE,
a partnership of public bodies and the private sector set
up to encourage and generate markets for recycled goods. He
is a member of the Scottish Labour Party. Mr Imrie holds no
other Ministerial appointments.
Barry Rose has worked in the financial
sector for over 35 years, ending up as Chief Executive of
Scottish Provident from 1993 to August 2001 when it was
taken over by Abbey Life, and has considerable experience
in corporate management. He is currently a non-executive
director with a portfolio including companies in the
financial and electronics sectors. Mr Rose has not been
politically active in the last five years. He holds no
other Ministerial appointments.
Susan Walker, OBE, has a civil engineering
background. From 1980 to 1999 she held a number of posts in
the National Rivers Authority and subsequently in the
Environment Agency. She retired as Regional Water Manager
of the Agency's North West Region in 1999 to form her own
consultancy company which specialises in sustainable and
integrated river basin management. Since 1999 she has held
the post of Professor of Geography and Environment at the
University of Aberdeen. She was a member of the North of
Scotland Water Authority from 1999 to 2002 for which she
received an annual salary of £7,170. Susan Walker is
currently a Board member of Scottish Natural Heritage for
which she receives £7,301 per annum, and a Board member of
the Deer Commission for Scotland which attracts an annual
remuneration of £3,922. She is also a member of the
Fisheries (Electricity) Committee (not remunerated).
Professor Walker has not been politically active in the
last five years.
The re-appointed Board members are:
Susan Clark has a background in social
work and was formerly Scottish Manager of the National
Foster Care Association. She is currently a Liberal
Democrat councillor on Fife Council and was previously
Chair of the Environmental Health Committee of North East
Fife District Council. She has been a local councillor in
Fife since 1990. She is a member of several professional
bodies including the British Association of Social Workers.
She is a member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Miss
Clark holds no other Ministerial appointments.
Fred Edwards, LVO, RD, is heavily involved
in various voluntary activities. He is a Council member of
the Scottish Wildlife Trust, President of Volunteer
Development Scotland, Trustee of New Lanark Trust, Chair of
Capability Scotland and member of the Board of Friends of
the Earth, Scotland. Mr Edwards has not been politically
active in the last five years. He holds no other
Ministerial appointments.
Bill Howatson is a Liberal Democrat
councillor on Aberdeenshire Council. He is a columnist with
the Press and Journal newspaper and a free-lance journalist
specialising in agriculture and rural affairs. He is a
member of the Health Education Board for Scotland for which
he receives £5,000 per annum and Governor of Macaulay Land
Use Research Institute (not remunerated). Mr Howatson is
also a member of the Rail Passenger Committee for Scotland,
Deputy Chairman of the east areas Board of Scottish Natural
Heritage and member of Angus College Board of Management,
which are all non-Ministerial appointments. He is a member
of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
Welcoming the appointments, the Minister said:
"SEPA plays a vital role in safeguarding and improving
our environment. I am delighted to announce that Councillor
Russell Imrie, Barry Rose and Professor Susan Walker have
accepted my invitation to serve as members of the Board of
the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Three current
Board members, Councillor Susan Clark, Fred Edwards and
Councillor Bill Howatson, have agreed to serve for a second
term. I look forward to working in partnership with all
SEPA's Board members.
"I very much appreciate the experience and knowledge
that David Hughes Hallett, Deirdre Hutton and Councillor
Cormick McChord, whose terms of appointment came to an end
on 31 December 2002, brought to SEPA during their time as
members of the Board. I am grateful to them for their
valuable contribution and personal commitment to the
service of SEPA over the years.
"SEPA has made significant progress since its formation
in 1995. Bringing together the various predecessor bodies
into a single effective regulator was a signal achievement.
SEPA has faced new challenges in the last few years,
including a major restructuring of its internal
organisation, and I am confident that it now operates a
functional structure that ensures effective environmental
protection across Scotland. The Board has a crucial role in
taking this forward and I am certain that we have the right
mix of skills and expertise to do so successfully."
These Ministerial Public Appointments were made in
accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office
of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. An independent
assessor was involved in the selection process. Over 230
candidates were considered from a variety of sources but
mainly in response to an advertisement in the press.
Information on the political affiliations of candidates was
not taken into account in the decisions on
appointments.
The other SEPA Board members are:
Ken Collins, Board Chairman, former MEP for Strathclyde
East and former Chairman of the European Parliament
Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection
Committee;
Brian Clark, Professor of Environmental Management and
Planning at Aberdeen University with experience of
environmental management and impact assessment in Scotland
and worldwide and Chairman of SEPA's North Region
Board;
Stanley Dagg, visiting Professor for the Caledonian
Shanks Waste Management Centre at Glasgow Caledonian
University, former Director of Cleansing Services with
Glasgow City Council, and Chairman of SEPA's West Region
Board;
Bill Furness, former National Manager for BT Scotland
and currently Chief Executive, Edinburgh Chamber of
Commerce; and
Nick Kuenssberg, a businessman from the west of Scotland
holding a number of company chairmanships and non-executive
directorships, Board member of the Scottish Legal Aid Board
and Chairman of the Institute of Directors, Scotland.