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Interim Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee

The Prime Minister has approved the interim appointment of William Ehrman as Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee. He will take up this position next month. Speaking in the House of Commons the Prime Minister said this afternoon:

‘There is now an urgent need to fill the post of JIC Chair, given the continuing operational pressures for intelligence assessment. I have therefore asked Mr William Ehrman, who is currently acting as a Deputy Chair, to take over the Chair of the JIC on an interim basis and to be Head of the Intelligence and Security Secretariat until a permanent appointment can be made. Mr Ehrman is at present Director General for Defence and Intelligence in the FCO. He is expected to take up a further Ambassadorial appointment next year. Meanwhile the Cabinet Office will set about the task of making a permanent appointment to take effect during 2005, which will be done fully on the basis of Lord Butler's criteria.’

Notes to Editors

1. The appointment is to a Cabinet Office Home Civil Service post and incumbents are employed by/on loan to the Cabinet Office for the duration of their posting. The interim appointment has been made as a managed move under the procedures of the Senior Appointments Selection Committee (SASC). As is usual for appointments at this level the recommendation was put to the Prime Minister by Sir Andrew Turnbull, as the Chairman of SASC. The Cabinet Office will set about the task of making a permanent appointment to take effect during 2005.
2. The Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) is responsible for the management of the work of the Committee. The post is specifically charged with ensuring that the Committee's warning and monitoring role is discharged effectively. The Chairman advises the Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator on the funding needs of the Intelligence and Security Agencies and their effective functioning. The postholder assists the JIC in establishing intelligence requirements and priorities for the Agencies, and advises the Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator on matters connected with the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) of Parliament. The post is also responsible for the Security Division of the Cabinet Office.
3. Further information about the National Intelligence Machinery can be found on the Cabinet Office website in the Government Machine directory [External website].
4. William Ehrman was appointed the Director General for Defence and Intelligence at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in October 2002. He joined the Diplomatic Service in 1973, and has had postings in Beijing, New York, Hong Kong and was HM Ambassador to Luxembourg. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He is married with three daughters and one son.
5. As already announced, John Scarlett is returning to the Secret Intelligence Service, where he has been appointed as the new Chief, replacing Sir Richard Dearlove at the end of the month.

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