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Honours committees are comprised of independent and official members. The chair is always an independent member and there is always a majority of independent members who are appointed via a public appointments process. Official members are the Permanent Secretaries of the departments within whose remit the committee’s specialism falls. A representative from No. 10 is invited to attend each committee meeting.
Each of the specialist honours committees agrees a list of recommendations, which are then submitted to Main Committee. The membership of Main Committee consists of:
The Cabinet Secretary (chair)
Chair of Arts and Media Committee: The Lord Stevenson of Coddenham CBE
Chair of Community, Voluntary and Local Services Committee: The Lord Newton of Braintree OBE DL
Chair of the Economy Committee: Sir John Parker
Chair of Education Committee: Sir Michael Barber
Chair of Health Committee: Sir Ian Carruthers OBE
Chair of Science and Technology Committee: The Lord Krebs
Chair of Sport Committee: The Lord Coe of Ranmore KBE
Chair of State Committee: Dame Mary Marsh DBE
The Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Chief of Defence Staff
Another Permanent Secretary
The Lord Stevenson of Coddenham CBE DL – Chancellor, University of the Arts, London (independent chair)
Dame Jenny Abramsky DBE – former Director of Radio and Music, BBC
Dame Liz Forgan DBE - Chair of the Arts Council of England and of the Scott Trust
Ben Okri OBE – novelist and poet
Luke Rittner – Chief executive, Royal Academy of Dance
Sir Peter Stothard – Editor, The Times Literary Supplement
Jonathan Stephens – Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Sir Peter Housden – Permanent Secretary, Scottish Executive
The Lord Newton of Braintree OBE DL – member of the House of Lords (independent chair)
Evelyn Asante-Mensah OBE DL – Chair, NHS Manchester
Sue Charteris – former Director of Shared Intelligence; member of the England Committee, Big Lottery Fund; and former Chief Executive of Merton
Dilwar Hussain – Head, Policy Research Centre
Dr. Angus Kennedy OBE – Chief Executive, Community Regeneration Partnership
John Knight OBE JP – Board Member, Charity Commission
Steve Moore – Chief Executive, Big Society Network
Brian O’Doherty – Head of Housing with Newcastle City Council
The Lord Shipley – Leader, Newcastle City Council
Mary Thomas – Non-Executive Director, Calderstones NHS Trust
Dame Clare Tickell – Chief Executive, Action for Children
Sir Nicholas Young – Chief Executive, British Red Cross
Sir Bob Kerslake – Permanent Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government
Sir David Bell KCB – Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
Dame Helen Ghosh – Permanent Secretary, Home Office
Sir Suma Charkrabarti KCB – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice
Dame Gillian Morgan – Permanent Secretary, Welsh Assembly Government
Sir John Parker (independent chair) – Chairman, National Grid Plc. And Anglo-American Plc.
Dame Helen Alexander DBE – former President, CBI
Peter Chappelow – Chairman, Portfolio
The Rt Hon Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde – Member, House of Lords Appointment Commission
Rosemarie Harris – famer and County Councillor, Powys County Council
Christopher Hyman CBE – Chief Executive, Serco Plc.
Sir Rob Margetts CBE – Chairman, Legal and General Plc.
David Thomas CBE DL – former Chief Executive, Whitbread Plc.
Martin Donnelly – Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Jonathan Stephens – Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Sir Nicholas MacPherson – Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury
Sir Peter Housden – Permanent Secretary, Scottish Executive
Sir Michael Barber – Head, McKinsey’s Global Education Practice (independent chair)
Graham Badman CBE – former Managing Director, Children, Schools and Education Directorate, Kent County Council
Professor the Baroness Afshar OBE – Professor, Politics and Women’s Studies, University of York
Sheila Gupta – Director of Human Resources, University of Edinburgh
Professor Sir Deian Hopkin – former Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, London South Bank University
Marion Matchett CBE – former Chief Executive, Education and Training Inspectorate, Northern Ireland
Professor Graham Shipley – Professor of Ancient History, University of Leicester
Peter Williams CBE – former Chief Executive, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
Martin Donnelly – Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Sir David Bell KCB – Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
Dr. Malcolm McKibbin – Head, Northern Ireland Civil Service
Sir Ian Carruthers OBE – Chief Executive, South West Strategic Health Authority (independent chair)
Professor Sir Mansel Aylward CB – Chairman, Wales Centre for Health
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz FRS – Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge
Dame Ruth Carnall DBE - Chief Executive, NHS London
Dame Karleen Davis DBE – former General-Secretary, Royal College of Midwives
Professor Irene Grey – Director of Care, Southern Cross Healthcare Plc.
Dame Janet Husband – former Chair, Royal College of Radiologists Council
Professor Sir Netar Mallick – Medical Director, Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards and Professor Emeritus in Renal Medicine, University of Manchester
Sir Neil McKay CB – Chief Executive, Leeds Teaching Hospitals
Sir Anthony Newman Taylor CBE – Deputy Chief Executive and Consultant Physician, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust
Sir Nicholas Partridge OBE - Chief Executive, Terrence Higgins Trust
Dame Sally Davies DBE – Chief Medical Officer (England)
Una O’Brien CB – Permanent Secretary, Department of Health
Dame Gillian Morgan – Permanent Secretary, Welsh Assembly Government
The Lord Krebs – Principal, Jesus College, Oxford (independent chair)
Professor Sir Tony Atkinson FBA – Senior Research Fellow, Nuffield College
Professor Sir Richard Brook OBE – Director, Leverhulme Trust
Professor Dame Janet Finch DBE DL – former Vice Chancellor, Keele University
Sir Rob Margetts CBE – Chairman, Legal and General Plc.
Dame Nancy Rothwell DBE FRS DL – President and Vice Chancellor, University of Manchester
Professor Sir John Beddington CMG, FRS – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Professor Sir Adrian Smith FRS – DG Knowledge and Innovation, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Lord Coe of Ranmore KBE – Chairman, London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (independent chair)
Baroness Grey Thompson DBE – former Paralympic athlete
Tim Lamb – Chief Executive, Sport and Reaction Alliance
Sir Ian McGeechan OBE – Director of Rugby, Bath
Tim Phillips – former Chairman, All England Lawn Tennis Club
Tessa Sanderson-White CBE – former Olympic athlete
Graham Taylor OBE – former England Football Manager
Jonathan Stephens – Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Dr. Malcolm McKibbin – Head, Northern Ireland Civil Service
Dame Mary Marsh DBE – Director, Clore Social Leadership Programme (independent chair)
Dame Suzi Leather DBE DL – 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
Sir Bob Kerslake – Head of the Home Civil Service
Sir Suma Chakrabarti KCB – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice
The Cabinet Office is inviting applications for vacancies on the Arts and Media, Community, Voluntary and Local Services and Science and Technology Honours Committees