Updated: Added information on available positions - Chair of Economy Honours Committee and Chair of Science and Technology Honours Committee.
Honours committees are made up of senior civil servants (‘official members’) and people who are independent of government (‘independent members’). All honours committees have a majority of members who are independent.
Each honours committee has an independent chairperson. A representative from 10 Downing Street is invited to attend all committee meetings.
Honours committees review honours nominations for people involved in specific activities (like arts and media or sport) which are then sent to the main honours committee.
Main committee
Members are:
Head of the Home Civil Service (chair)
Chair of Arts and Media Committee: Sir Vernon Ellis
Chair of Community, Voluntary and Local Services Committee: Dame Clare Tickell DBE
Chair of the Economy Committee: Sir John Parker GBE
Chair of Education Committee: Sir Michael Barber
Chair of Health Committee: Professor The Lord Kakkar
Chair of Parliamentary and Political Service Committee: The Rt. Hon. The Lord Spicer
Chair of Science and Technology Committee: The Lord Krebs FRS
Chair of Sport Committee: The Lord Coe of Ranmore KBE CH
Chair of State Committee: Dame Mary Marsh DBE
The Cabinet Secretary
The Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Chief of Defence Staff
Another Permanent Secretary (currently Sir Paul Jenkins KCB QC, the Treasury Solicitor)
Arts and media
Sir Vernon Ellis - Chair, British Council (independent chair)
Independent members:
The Lord Fellowes of West Stafford DL - writer, actor and director
Dame Liz Forgan DBE - journalist
Julia Peyton Jones OBE – Director, the Serpentine Gallery
Luke Rittner - Chief Executive, Royal Academy of Dance
Sir Peter Stothard - Editor, The Times Literary Supplement
Official members:
Sue Owen CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Sir Peter Housden KCB - Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government
Community, voluntary and local services
Dame Clare Tickell DBE - Chief Executive, Hanover Housing Association (independent chair)
Independent members:
Evelyn Asante-Mensah OBE DL - Chair, NHS Manchester
Melanie Bryan OBE – social entrepreneur, Why Not Change?
Sue Charteris - former Director of Shared Intelligence; member of the England Committee, Big Lottery Fund and former Chief Executive of Merton
Dilwar Hussain – Co-founder, New Horizons in British Islam
Dr. Angus Kennedy OBE - Chief Executive, Community Regeneration Partnership
John Knight CBE JP - formerly Director of Policy at Leonard Cheshire Disability and Board Member, Charity Commission
Dame Barbara Monroe DBE – Chief Executive, St. Christopher’s Hospice
Brian O’Doherty – lately Head of Housing, Newcastle City Council
Noreen Oliver MBE – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, BAC O’Connor Centre
The Lord Shipley - Leader, Newcastle City Council
Sir Nicholas Young - Chief Executive, British Red Cross
Official members:
Dame Ursula Brennan DCB - Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice
Helen Edwards - Director General for Localism, Department for Communities and Local Government
Sir Derek Jones KCB - Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government
Mark Sedwill CMG - Permanent Secretary, Home Office
Chris Wormald - Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
The economy
Sir John Parker GBE (independent chair) - Chair, Anglo American plc
Independent members:
Dame Helen Alexander DBE – Chair, UBM plc and Chancellor, University of Southampton
Dame Colette Bowe DBE - Chair, Office of Communications (Ofcom)
Sherry Coutu CBE – angel investor
The Rt Hon Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde - Member, House of Lords Appointment Commission
Anya Hindmarch MBE – fashion designer and businesswoman
Sir Richard Lambert - former Director General, CBI
Helen Mahy - Group Company Secretary and General Counsel, National Grid
Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE - entrepreneur
Official members:
Martin Donnelly CMG - Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Sue Owen CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Sir Nicholas MacPherson KCB - Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury
Sir Peter Housden KCB - Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government
Education
Professor Sir Michael Barber - Head, McKinsey’s Global Education Practice (independent chair)
Independent members:
Graham Badman CBE - former Managing Director,Children, Schools and Education Directorate, Kent County Council
Dame Rachel de Souza DBE - Chief Executive Officer, Inspiration Trust
Professor Sir Deian Hopkin - former Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, London South Bank University
Marion Matchett CBE - Civil Service Commissioner for Northern Ireland
Sir Daniel Moynihan - Chief Executive, Harris Federation
Peter Williams CBE - former Chief Executive, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
Official members:
Martin Donnelly CMG - Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Chris Wormald - Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
Dr. Malcolm McKibbin - Head, Northern Ireland Civil Service
Health
Professor The Lord Kakkar - Director, Thrombosis Research Institute (independent chair)
Independent members:
Dame Christine Beasley DBE – Chief Nursing Officer for England
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz FRS - Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge
Dame Ruth Carnall DBE - Chief Executive, NHS London
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore - Chair, Liverpool Health Partners, University of Liverpool
Dame Janet Husband DBE - former Chair, Royal College of Radiologists Council
Sir Nicholas Partridge OBE - Chief Executive, Terrence Higgins Trust
Professor Sir Simon Wessely – Director, King’s Centre for Military Health Research, King’s College London
Official members:
Dame Sally Davies DBE - Chief Medical Officer (England)
Una O’Brien CB - Permanent Secretary, Department of Health
David Sissling - Director General, Department for Health, Social Services and Children, Welsh Government
Parliamentary and political service
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Spicer - Member, House of Lords (independent chair)
Independent members:
Dianne Bevan – Chief Operating Officer, National Assembly for Wales
The Rt Hon the Lord Butler of Brockwell KG GCB CVO - Member, House of Lords
The Rt Hon the Baroness Hayman GBE – former Speaker of the House of Lords
Dame Mary Keegan DBE – Non-Executive Board Member, National Audit Office and Governor, Falmouth University
The Rt Hon Peter Riddell CBE – Director, Institute for Government
Official members:
The Rt Hon Don Foster MP - Liberal Democrat Chief Whip
The Rt Hon Sir George Young Bt CH MP - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip
The Rt Hon Rosie Winterton MP - Labour Chief Whip
Science and technology
The Lord Krebs FRS - Principal, Jesus College, Oxford (independent chair)
Independent members:
Professor Sir Tony Atkinson FBA - Senior Research Fellow, Nuffield College
Professor Dame Janet Finch DBE DL - former Vice Chancellor, Keele University
Professor Dame Julia King DBE - Vice-Chancellor, Aston University
Martyn Rose – Director, Martyn Rose Ltd.
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell DBE FRS DL - President and Vice Chancellor, University of Manchester
Official members:
Professor Sir Mark Walport FRS - Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government
Professor Sir John O’Reilly FREng – Director-General, Knowledge and Innovation, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Sport
The Lord Coe of Ranmore KBE CH – Chairman, CSM (independent chair)
Independent members:
Giles Clarke – Chair, England and Wales Cricket Board and Director, International Cricket Council
The Baroness Grey Thompson of Eaglescliffe DBE - former Paralympic athlete
Tim Lamb - Chief Executive, Sport and Reaction Alliance
Tim Phillips - former Chairman, All England Lawn Tennis Club
Graham Taylor OBE - former England Football Manager
Official members:
Sue Owens CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Dr. Malcolm McKibbin - Head, Northern Ireland Civil Service
State
Dame Mary Marsh DBE - Director, Clore Social Leadership Programme (independent chair)
Independent members:
The Rt Hon the Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone JP DL – Member, House of Lords and Chair, Board Practice, Odgers Berndtson
Dame Suzi Leather DBE DL - former Chair, Charity Commission
Elizabeth McKeikan - Non-Executive Director, JD Wetherspoon plc. and former Civil Service Commissioner
Dr. Diana Walford CBE - former Principal, Mansfield College, Oxford
Dr. Suzy Walton – Deputy Chairman RSA, University of Westminster and Internet Watch Foundation
Official members:
Sir Paul Jenkins KCB QC - Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary, Treasury Solicitor’s Department
Sir Bob Kerslake - Head of the Civil Service
Available committee membership positions
Honours applications are reviewed by the Main Honours Advisory Committee and 8 specialist sub-committees. From time to time, the Cabinet Office invites applications to fill vacancies on the committees.
There are currently 2 vacancies: 1 for Chair of Economy Honours Committee and the other for Chair of Science and Technology Honours Committee. These adverts have also gone live on the Public Appointments website, together with application forms in Word format.
The closing date for both applications is 31 March 2014.
Economy Chair application form
PDF, 162KB, 16 pages
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Science and Technology Chair application form
PDF, 162KB, 16 pages
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Honours Committees posts: further particulars
PDF, 159KB, 15 pages
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publication ("Honours Committees posts: further particulars").