Political Updates 17th July 2017

This week’s Political Updates, covers moves and changes at all levels of government. 

  Government Departments

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

• Stephen Lillie has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Cyprus. He will succeed Matthew Kidd from Spring 2018.

Department for Transport

• Michael Hurn has been appointed Director General of the High Speed Rail Group, succeeding David Prout.

Scotland Office

• Director Francesca Osowska is leaving her role as Director in Autumn 2017.

HM Treasury

• Jem Eskenazi has been made Chief Technology Officer of UK Export Finance.

Ministry of Justice

• Ed Owen has been appointed Head of Communications of HM Court and Tribunal Service.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

• Peter Rowley’s membership of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority board has been extended.

The Select Committee Chairs have now been elected:

• Backbench Business Committee – Ian Mearns
• Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee – Rachel Reeves
• Communities and Local Government Committee – Clive Betts
• Defence Committee – Julian Lewis
• Education Committee – Robert Halfon
• Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee – Neil Parish
• Foreign Affairs Committee – Tom Tugendhat
• Northern Ireland Allairs Committee – Andrew Murrison
• Science and Technology Committee – Norman Lamb
• Transport Committee – Lilian Greenwood
• Treasury Committee – Nicky Morgan
• Culture, Media and Sport Committee – Damian Collins
• Environmental Audit Committee – Mary Creagh
• Exiting the European Union Committee – Hilary Benn
• Health Committee – Sarah Wollaston
• Home Affairs Committee – Yvette Cooper
• International Development Committee – Stephen Twigg
• International Trade Committee – Angus Brendan MacNeil
• Justice Committee – Robert Neill
• Petitions Committee – Helen Jones
• Procedure Committee – Charles Walker
• Public Accounts Committee – Meg Hillier
• Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee – Bernard Jenkin
• Scottish Affairs Committee – Pete Wishart
• Standards Committee – Kevin Barron
• Welsh Affairs Committee – David T.C. Davies
• Women and Equalities Committee – Maria Miller
• Work and Pensions Committee – Frank Field

• Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach has been made a member of the Science and Technology Committee.
• Baroness Morris of Bolton has been appointed member of the Services Committee.
• Lord Patel has been appointed member of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Board.
• Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town has been appointed member of the Liaison Committee.
• Lord Duncan of Springback has been made a Conservative Life Peer.

Devolved Institutions

 Scottish Parliament

• The Scottish Parliament is in recess until Tuesday 5 September.

• It’s a week of external activities: MEPs will be spending their time in their constituencies and on delegations.