Practicing Accountant member of the Insolvency Rules Committee
- Body
- Insolvency Rules Committee
- Appointing Department
- Ministry of Justice
- Sector
- Business, Finance & Skills
- Location
- London
- Skills required
- Accountancy
- Number of Vacancies
- 1
- Remuneration
- None but reasonable standard travel expenses will be payable
- Time Requirements
- No more than 21 days per annum – depending on the needs of the committee
Campaign Timeline
-
Competition Launched
18/12/2020
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Closed for Applications
18/01/2021 at 09:00
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Panel Sift
16/02/2021
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Final Interview Date
21/04/2021
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Announcement
29/07/2021
Announcement
An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.
The Lord Chancellor in consultation with the Chancellor of the High Court (on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice) has appointed Alison Curry as accountant member of the Insolvency Rules Committee (IRC). The new term will run from 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2024.
IRC is an expert body that advises on proposed new and amendments to insolvency rules that underpin the wider insolvency legislative framework; their advice and recommendations are provided to the Lord Chancellor.
IRC members are from the legal and accountancy professions and will have many years of operational experience in dealing with insolvency matters. They provide their services on a voluntary and unremunerated basis.
Appointments and re-appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and, have been made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Date: 29/07/2021
Assessment Panel
- Panel Member
- Fiona Rutherford
- Panel Role
- Panel Chair
- Positions
- Director Access to Justice Directorate Departmental Official
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- Panel Member
- Mr Justice Zacaroli
- Positions
- Insolvency Rules Committee Chair Representative of Organisation
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- Panel Member
- Paul Bannister
- Positions
- Head of the Insolvency Service - BEIS Representative of Organisation
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- Panel Member
- Dale Simon
- Positions
- Independent Panel Member Independent Member
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Vacancy Description
The Insolvency Rules Committee is an advisory non-departmental public body (NDPB) which was established under Section 10 of the Insolvency Act 1976.
The Insolvency Rules Committee is appointed under section 413 of the Insolvency Act 1986 for the purpose of being consulted by the Lord Chancellor before making any rules under section 411 (company insolvency rules) or section 412 (individual insolvency rules) of the Act. The Committee is comprised of a judge of the High Court attached to the Chancery Divisions and various members of the judiciary, legal and accountancy professions.
The major part of the work of the Committee over the next year is likely to involve certain special regimes arising from other government legislation that utilise the rule making powers of section 411 of the Insolvency Act 1986. the consideration of a new set of Insolvency Rules, which follows work the Insolvency Service have been undertaking to review and modernise the 1986 Rules. The committee are also likely to be required to consider other ad hoc legislation and a review of the 2016 Rules.
The Committee is an unfunded, advisory non-departmental public body whose members provide their services on a voluntary and unremunerated basis, but can claim reasonable expenses. The cost of these expenses and the provision of the secretariat for the Committee is provided by The Insolvency Service.
Appointments to the Committee are made by the Lord Chancellor following consultation with the Lord Chief Justice. Appointments are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA).
The role of the Practicing Accountant
The committee presently operates under the chairmanship of the Hon. Mr Justice Antony Zacaroli. The Insolvency Service try and manage the flow of work to the committee, but it does arise on an adhoc basis and there will be a considerable amount of work over the coming year.
The management of the work of the committee is a matter for the chairman of the committee and it does vary according to the volume of work and the nature of the legislative changes made. The role of the committee, in advising the Lord Chancellor, is to ensure that the legislative changes proposed to the rules will deliver the proposed policy sought effectively.
Meetings of the committee are arranged on the basis of need and not more frequently than 2 or 3 times a year. Those meetings are held in London, usually at the offices of The Insolvency Service or the Rolls Building in Central London.
Person Specification
- Practising accountant
- Detailed knowledge of both primary and secondary insolvency legislation and significant practical experience in its application
- Ability to assess the effectiveness and practical implications of proposed amendments to the Insolvency Rules
- Ability and willingness to make a significant contribution to the effective working of the Committee
- Ability to work to tight deadlines and deal with work given out at short notice.
Additional Information
Tenure: Public appointments are offered on a fixed term basis. We do this to ensure that the leadership of our public bodies is regularly refreshed, and the IRC can benefit from new perspectives and ideas. The appointment will run for 3 years with the possibility of reappointment for a further term subject to satisfactory appraisal and at the discretion of Ministers. In line with the Governance Code for Public Appointments, there is a strong presumption that no individual should serve more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years.
Remuneration: Membership of the IRC does not constitute formal employment and is unremunerated, however, reasonable standard travel expenses will be payable.
Performance Appraisal: The member will be assessed at least once a year against their performance for each year of their appointment, which will be carried out by the Chair of the body.
Standards in Public Life: Public appointees are required to uphold the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s Seven Principles of Public Life (see Appendix 1). You are also expected to adhere to the Code of Conduct for board members of public bodies.
How to Apply
To make an application, please send:
- A CV (maximum two sides of A4) detailing your qualifications, employment history and any appointments or offices you hold. Please also provide your preferred contact number and email address.
- A personal statement (maximum two sides of A4) providing evidence against the role criteria and your suitability for the post, please consider the role and criteria carefully in preparing your statements. Information from Advisory Assessment Panels indicates that applications which offer specific and tailored examples against the criteria, making clear the candidate’s role in achieving an outcome are often the strongest. Structuring the statement around the criteria using relevant headings also aids clarity.
- Guidance on how to write a successful application is provided at (Appendix 2).
Supporting Documents (Appendix 3 – attached separately on cabinet office website)
Please also complete and return the following supporting documents:
- potential conflicts of interest: If you have any interests that might be relevant to the work of Insolvency Rules Committee, and which could lead to a real or perceived conflict of interest if you were to be appointed, please provide details in your supporting documents.
- Given the nature of public appointments, it is important that those appointed as members of public bodies maintain the confidence of Parliament and the public. If there are any issues in your personal or professional history that could, if you were appointed, be misconstrued, cause embarrassment, or cause public confidence in the appointment to be jeopardised, it is important that you bring them to the attention of the Assessment Panel and provide details of the issue/s in your supporting letter. In considering whether you wish to declare any issues, you should also reflect on any public statements you have made, including through social media. The Advisory Assessment Panel may explore any issues with you before they make a recommendation on the appointment. Failure to disclose such information could result in an appointment either not being made or being terminated.
- Conflicts might arise from a variety of sources such as financial interests or share ownership, membership of, or association with, particular bodies or the activities of relatives or partners. If you need further advice, please contact Christine Groves-Loader at PublicAppointmentsTeam@justice.gov.uk
- note of public appointments – please list any appointments currently held;
- referee details – please give names/contact details of two referees (who will be contacted if you are shortlisted for interview);
- the political activity declaration form – In line with the Governance Code for Public Appointments, details of any declared activity will be made public if you are appointed; and
- the equal opportunities monitoring form – information is requested for monitoring purposes only and plays no part in the selection process. It will be kept confidential and will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel.
Please send your CV, personal statement and supporting documents to: PublicAppointmentsTeam@justice.gov.uk quoting reference PAT150095 in the subject line of your email. We will acknowledge receipt.
If you have any questions about any aspects of this post, you are welcome to contact Jessica.Bradbury@insolvency.gov.uk