Reappointment to Board of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
Date published:
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has reappointed Ms Patricia Kelly as a Commissioner to the Board of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland with effect from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2031.
Ms Kelly has served on the Board since 1 June 2021.
The Commission is a non-departmental statutory public body sponsored by the Department for Communities. It was established to deliver the regulatory requirements of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. Its vision is to have a dynamic and well governed charities sector in which the public has confidence. This is underpinned by effective delivery of its regulatory role.
Notes to editors:
- The Commissioner position attracts remuneration of £3,823 per year for a commitment of two days per month. The Commissioner is eligible to claim allowances, at rates set centrally, for travel and subsistence costs necessarily incurred on Commission business. In addition, since the 2019 McBride High Court Judgment all Commissioners are expected to serve on several decision-making committees throughout the year and are paid a daily rate for this additional work of £604.
- This appointment has been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s (CPANI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPANI requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Any relevant details are provided in the below biographies.
- Patricia Kelly Biography: Ms Kelly has worked as a lawyer having been called to the NI Bar and has an LLM in Human Rights Law. She worked as the Director of the Children’s Law Centre, a registered charity, until August 2025. She has extensive experience as a Charity Trustee for a range of charities. She was appointed as a Non-Executive (Lay) Director of the Public Health Agency in April 2026. The period of appointment is four years and current time commitment is five days per month, and remuneration is £10,556 per annum. Ms Kelly has declared that she has had no political activity within the last five years.
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