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Tribunal appointment
06/09/2011
Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill today announced the new appointment of the President of the Additional Support Needs Tribunal for Scotland.
Mr MacAskill said:
"I am very pleased to announce this appointment. Dr Joe Morrow has shown strong commitment to public service and in particular the tribunal service in Scotland. His wealth of experience and knowledge will be extremely valuable."
Dr Joe Morrow is an advocate and former solicitor who has worked in the private, public and voluntary sectors. He is currently the President of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland having been appointed in 2008. Previously, he was HM Commissioner for Mental Welfare, and chaired two significant Inquiries while with the Commission. He also has experience of sitting as a Legal Chair with other Tribunals, in particular the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal.
This appointment will be for a period of five years from September 1, 2011 to August 31, 2016.
This post is part-time with an expected time commitment of 50 days per annum, for which the daily remuneration rate is £472.26.
Dr Morrow is also the President of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland (MHTS) with a remuneration of £620 per day.
The Additional Support Needs Tribunal for Scotland (ASNTS) was established in November 2005 by the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 which made provision for the establishment of the tribunal to hear cases involving children and young people who face the biggest barriers to learning. The ASNTS consider appeals (references) made by parents and young people against decisions of Education Authorities regarding the provision of educational support.
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 declared) to be made public. Dr Morrow was a Local Authority Councillor till 2008 when he resigned to take up his post as President of MHTS.