The re-appointment of two Members to the Board of Ulster Supported Employment Ltd (USEL)

The Department for Communities has announced the re-appointment of Mr Raymond Donnelly and Mr Dermot O’Hara to the Board of Ulster Supported Employment Ltd (USEL), for a second term, from 1 May 2023 until 30 November 2026. Both have been Members since 1 May 2019.

USEL was established to provide supported paid employment for disabled people. Approximately 70% of employees at its manufacturing and recycling facility in Belfast have a disability or heath related condition. Today USEL is the largest supporter of people with disabilities within Northern Ireland with offices in Belfast, Londonderry and Portadown. Each year the company supports over 1200 people with disabilities in more than 750 companies to enter and sustain economic employment through its various employment programmes.

Notes to editors: 

Notes for editors: 

1. USEL is an Arm’s-Length Body of the Department for Communities. The Board normally comprises a Chair and six Members. 
2. The current remuneration for the position of a Board Member is £140 for each board meeting attended and attendance is approximately 11 meetings per year.
3. These re-appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s (CPA NI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPA NI requires the political activity of appointees to be published.
4. Mr Raymond Donnelly - Mr Donnelly’s background is within Human Resources Management. He has been a member of the Corporate Management Team in a number of organisations including Newry & Mourne Health & Social Care Trust and Craigavon Borough Council. He has experience in identifying the key strategic issues to progress change and of implementing related corporate change and improvement programmes. He holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity during the last five years.
5. Mr Dermot O’Hara - Mr O’Hara is a former Director of People Strategies with the Local Government Staff Commission for NI. He currently provides Organisational Development and Human Resources advice to public, private and third sector organisations. He is a voluntary Director on the Board of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland and a former Non-Executive Director on the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust Board. He holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity during the last five years.
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