Press Release: 07 June 2005: Members appointed to MACS
Six new members to the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) were announced today by the Minister for Transport Nicol Stephen.
The six are:
Fiona McCall - a disabled person, who has a post graduate certificate in Adult and Community Education. She chairs the Central Borders Access Panel and is also the Scottish Borders representative for Disabled Drivers.
Georgina Hobhouse - a disabled person who is a Board member of Argyll and Highlands Enterprise. She is Secretary of the Colonsay Village Hall Committee, member of the RPC Scotland Cal Mac Users Committee and a member of the Argyll College Board and Management Committee. She is also Chair of the Kilmartin House Trust.
Jane Horsburgh - a Rehabilitation Services Development Officer for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. She is also Director of the Forth Valley Sensory Centre Trust.
George McKendrick - an Operations Manager in Road Passenger Transport with considerable experience in strategic policy and negotiation.
John Moore - a Managing Director with CPC-PSV National. He was Treasurer of the West Lothian Mobility Initiative from 1991-1997 and is currently Company Secretary of Lothian Community Transport Services.
Bryan Alexander - a disabled person and retired solicitor. He was formerly a member of Monifieth Community Council and a member of Monifieth Crime Prevention Panel. He was also a member of Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau.
The Minister also announced the reappointment of seven existing members of MACS.
Jean Dunlop - a wheelchair user, who has a record of achievement working in the disability field in Ayrshire. Mrs Dunlop is a Disability Equality Awareness trainer, the Vice-Chair of the Scottish Accessible Information Forum, Chair of FABB Scotland and a former member of the National Transport Forum for Scotland. Mrs Dunlop is also a member of the Disabled Persons' Transport Advisory Committee, the UK government's statutory adviser on the transport needs of disabled people.
John Feehan - who has learning difficulties, has demonstrated commitment and persistence for improvements for disabled people, especially in the development of ENABLE's Thistle Travel Card Scheme, which was launched in September 2002, to assist people with learning disabilities to access public transport.
Ewan Jones - is Operations Director for the Community Transport Association. Mr Jones has worked in the community transport sector since 1984, having been responsible for the establishment and management of a range of services to develop increased accessibility to the public transport network.
Roderick McLeod - a part-time computing consultant and an Independent Councillor with Orkney Islands Council. Mr McLeod is also a member of the Orkney Children's Panel Advisory Committee and a member of the Management Council of Orkney College.
Trevor Meadows - Team Leader for Accessible and Community Transport with Fife Council Transportation Services since 1996. Mr. Meadows, who has worked on accessible transport issues nationally and in Europe, was the Co-ordinator of "ReadiBus", the national pilot project which identified the nature and scale of mobility handicap. From 1982 to 1994 he was the Director of the National Advisory Unit for Community Transport and was appointed as member and then technical advisor to the UK Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. He was a member of the European Council of Ministers of Transport Working Group on Transport for People With Mobility Handicaps.
Mairi O'Keefe - has a nursing background. Before she left to become a management consultant in London Mairi had undertaken a wide variety of management roles working for BAA Scottish Airports. Since June 2003 Mairi has been employed by the MS Society Scotland.
Alan Rees MBE - until his retirement in 1993 was the Assistant Director of the Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations' Council. He is now the Secretary of the Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance (SATA) and until recently was the Chairman of Handicabs Lothian. Mr Rees was a member of the Transport /Rail Users Committees for Scotland from 1987-98.
The reappointments will be for three years and will run from April 1 to 31 March 2008. The posts are part-time and attract no renumeration.
MACS was established in 2002 to advise on transport needs of disabled people and how to improve accessibility of transport.
This Ministerial public appointment was made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland.
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 there is any to be declared) to be made public.
Roderick McLeod has made a Political Activity Declaration that he obtained office as a local independent councillor and that he has canvassed on behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats at elections. He is a paid up member of the party but holds no office.
George McKendrick has made a Declaration of Interest that he is employed by Lothian Buses PLC and has to deal with issues relating to the delivery of bus services.
None of the other appointee's hold any other Ministerial appointments.
MACS Secretariat
Tel: 01383 749548
E-mail: macs@macs-mobility.org