New interim Chair appointed to DFC Architecture Group

Communities Minister Paul Givan MLA has announced the appointment of Mr Andrew Haley as the new interim Chair for the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for Architecture and the Built Environment in Northern Ireland.

In addition to the Chair responsibilities, the interim Chair will undertake a thorough review of the MAG to look at its roles, its deliverables and its impact in order to assess the best way to implement the Architecture and Built Environment (A+BE) Policy in support of a better built and natural environment.

Welcoming the new Chair, Minister Given said: “Mr Haley’s appointment as interim Chair is a positive step, and I am confident that his experience and skills will further advance the work carried out by MAG since its inception in 2007.

“Government is committed to being an exemplary client in the delivery of good design. With Mr Haley as interim Chair, MAG will continue to address the many challenges ahead and capture the opportunity to deliver the highest level of design quality.

“I am looking forward to working with the interim Chair and the MAG Members to build on the progress that has been made to date”

Notes to editors: 

1. In June 2006 the former Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Maria Eagle MP, announced the publication of Architecture and the Built Environment for Northern Ireland.
2. This policy made provision for the creation of a Ministerial Advisory Group to advise on policy implementation and to champion good design in the built environment in Northern Ireland.
3. The Chair receives an honorarium of £6,000 per annum. Authorised expenses incurred through carrying out official duties will be reimbursed. The appointment is for a term of 12 months which will take effect from 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017.
4. The appointments process was carried out in the spirit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland Code of Practice. The final decision on the appointment rested with the Minister.
5. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published.
6. Biographical Details
   Mr Haley was appointed as a MAG Member on 1st May 2014 for a term of four years. He is a Director with the Paul Hogarth Company and as a Chartered Landscape Architect, Urban Designer and Regeneration Consultant has extensive experience of providing advice and delivering large, complex projects across the UK, Ireland and internationally. In December 2015, Design Council CABE announced his appointment as a Built Environment Expert, as part of what they refer to as the ‘largest and most skilled group of its kind in the country’. Mr Haley holds no other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.
7. Media enquires to DfC Press Office on 028 9082 9267 or email press.office@communities-ni.gov.uk Out of hours, please contact the Duty Press Office via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.

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