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Appointment of a Chair and four new members to the Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances

NEWS RELEASE

Ref: 265/08
Date: 8 August 2008

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, announced today that a new Chair and four new members have been appointed to the Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances.

The new Chair is Professor Stephen Holgate MD DSc FRCP FMedSci FRSA, Medical Research Council Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton.

The new members are:

Dr Alistair Boxall, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science at the University of York;
Dr Gill Clare, Independent Consultant in genotoxicology;
Dr Sophie Rocks, Toxicologist at Cranfield University;
Professor Richard Shore, Ecotoxicologist and Section Head of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Hilary Benn said:

"The new Chair and members will bring further expertise and experience to the committee, which is responsible for providing rigorous scientific advice on all matters relating to hazardous chemicals, including nanomaterials.”

The appointments, which take effect from 1 July 2008, are for a term of three years. The appointments were made through a process of open competition.

The Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances will maintain its statutory role under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 of advising on proposals to ban or place restrictions on chemicals in the UK or to require information about them.  In addition, the Committee will continue to offer advice to the UK Chemicals Stakeholder Forum on the hazard and risk posed by chemicals to inform their position on priority.  The ACHS also maintains its role of advising Ministers on the risks posed by nanotechnologies.

Notes to editors

1. The Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances (ACHS) was formed in 1991 to advise the Secretary of State on the exercise of his powers under Section 140 and 142 of the Environment Protection Act 1990.  In 2001, the ACHS was given the role of providing technical advice to a new advisory body, the UK Chemicals Stakeholder Forum. 

2. ACHS meetings are open to the public, and the dates for future meetings are:

  • 9 September
  • 25 November
  • 3 March 2009
  • 2 June 2009
  • 15 September 2009
  • 1 December 2009

3. The appointments have been made in accordance with the principles of the commissioner for public appointments code of practice for appointments to public bodies.  The posts were advertised in the national press (Guardian and New Scientist) and relevant websites. The selection panels, which included the head of chemicals and nanotechnologies policy division at Defra, other senior officials in Defra and an independent assessor, sifted the applications, interviewed the candidates and made recommendations to the minister.

4. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public.

End

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Page published: 8 August 2008