Launch of recruitment competition for Non-Executive Members for the Drainage Council Northern Ireland

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has announced a recruitment campaign to appoint six Non-Executive Members to the Drainage Council. 

The Department is seeking to recruit a member from each of the following specialist areas: agriculture, conservation, drainage, fisheries, industry and tourism.

Launching the competition, Minister Kimmins said: “These are important posts and the knowledge and expertise these Members will bring to the Drainage Council will be crucial as my Department continues to focus on the development of drainage and flood defence schemes across the north.

“I would encourage anyone who considers that they meet the criteria for the posts and has a genuine interest and desire to make a contribution to the work of the Drainage Council, to apply.”

The time commitment for the post will be approximately 3-4 meetings per year and meetings are generally held within normal working hours. The posts are not remunerated; however Members will receive reasonable costs associated with their attendance at the meetings, including travel, subsistence and dependent care costs.

Applications will close at noon, 18 April 2025. The appointment will be effective from 1 July 2025 and will run for a period of up to four years.

The competition documents, including the Candidate Information Booklet which provides details of the role and competition criteria at: NIDirect Public Appointments or  DFI Public Appointments.

Alternatively contact the DfI Public Appointments Unit:

• In writing to Department for Infrastructure, James House, Gasworks Site, 2-4 Cromac Avenue, Belfast, BT7 2JA;
• By Telephone on 028 9054 0994;
• By e-mail. Send your request to: publicappointmentsunit@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk.

Applications will be welcomed from all sections of the community. Women, younger people, people with disabilities and people from ethnic minority communities are currently under-represented on DfI Boards. Applications from members of these groups would be particularly welcome.

Notes to Editors:

1. The power to appoint members to the Drainage Council Board lies solely with the Minister for Infrastructure as stipulated under schedule 1 to the Drainage (Northern Ireland) Order 1973 rather than the Department. 
2. The Drainage Council exists to perform a general scrutiny role in relation to the Department's drainage functions and has a statutory duty to ensure uniformity of treatment on drainage issues throughout Northern Ireland. The Council's membership is set out in legislation (Schedule 1 of the Drainage (Northern Ireland) Order 1973.
3. The Drainage Council Northern Ireland consists of 10 representatives from local Councils, two ex-officio members who are officials within the Department and one ‘specialist' representative for each of the following specialisms: agriculture, conservation, drainage, fisheries, industry, and tourism.
4. The appointments will be made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland Code of Practice.