Appointment of Interim Chair to the Historic Monuments Council
Date published:
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA has announced the appointment of Mr Ciaran Lavelle as the Interim Chair of the Historic Monuments Council (HMC). The appointment is from 1 November 2024 until a permanent Chair is in place.
Mr Lavelle has served as a HMC Member since 1 July 2022.
HMC is an Advisory Non-Departmental Public Bodies sponsored by the Department for Communities. It consists of a Chair and up to 14 other Members who possess a range of interest and expertise on relevant matters.
It was established in 1971 with the responsibilities of the Council principally laid out in Article 22 of the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (NI) Order 1995. The purpose of HMC is to advise the Department on the exercise of its powers under this Order.
Notes to editors:
- The Chair position is unremunerated, however there is a provision for out-of-pocket expenses.
- This appointment has been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s (CPA NI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPA NI requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Any relevant details are provided in the below biography.
- Biographical Details: Ciaran Lavelle
Mr Lavelle is Head of Collections Services for National Museums NI, where his work focuses on enhancing access, collections care and management of the national art, history and natural science collections. He has displayed his communication and interpersonal skills through bringing together several departments to form one cohesive, strategically aligned team in addition to providing effective advice to a range of external stakeholders in the Northern Ireland heritage sector. Through close engagement with the Historic Environment Division, Mr Lavelle has been able to act as a source of conservation and collections management knowledge, information and advice across stakeholders. Mr Lavelle applied for HMC in relation to his artefact conservation and curation experience. He has worked on and managed a number of national and international archaeological and historic conservation projects across the world. He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years - Media enquiries via email to DFC Press Office.
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