Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government who assessed the qualifications of the applicants to the recently appointed Northern Ireland Parades Commission; and what qualifications were sought for the appointments.

The recent appointments to the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland were regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The appointments process was run in accordance with the Commissioner's Code of Practice. All stages of the process were undertaken by a selection panel that was chaired by a Public Appointments Assessor allocated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The panel also included a senior official from the Northern Ireland Office and independent membership. The panel assessed candidates against the agreed person specification and skills requirements for these positions, details of which are provided below:

Person Specification

Outstanding individuals are sought to become Chair and members of the Parades Commission; people who can command the confidence of all sides of the community in Northern Ireland, act in controversial situations and determine courses of action, and assess the probability of future events and make clear and well informed judgements.

Essential Skills

Candidates for these demanding roles will need to demonstrate:-

• The courage and conviction to take difficult but fair decisions in high profile and controversial circumstances;
• The ability to build productive and respectful relationships with fellow Commissioners, colleagues and the communities which are impacted by the Commission's decisions; and
• A reputation for personal integrity, professional conduct and credibility, with an exceptional sense of propriety.

In addition, candidates for the Chair role need to be able to show a strong track record of leadership, and the ability to broker consensus between senior stakeholders and opposing views.