Bill Jeffry succeeds Sir David Omand as Security and Intelligence Coordinator
The Prime Minister has appointed Bill Jeffry as the new Security and Intelligence Coordinator, to succeed Sir David Omand when he retires at Easter.
Bill Jeffry is currently the director general of the controversial Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), a department which seems to be under such bureaucratic strain as to misplace or forget about correspondence, which has led to the resignation of two Home Office Ministers: Beverely Hughes and David Blunkett. He must surely have made decisions which led to the shameful treatment of the whistleblowers Steve Moxon working in the IND office in Sheffield, and James Cameron, the British Consul in Bucharest, which does not bode well for the rest of us, now that he has an even more powerful job.
The small pool of senior officials who are trusted by the politicians to deal with intelligence and security matters seems to be a very small one. Are these really the best people available
So who replaces Bill Jeffry at IND ?
"This is a key post with responsibility for coordinating and developing, across all Departments, the work on counter-terrorism, and crisis management and is the Principal Accounting Officer for the UK's national Intelligence Agencies (SIS, Security Service and GCHQ).
As Security and Intelligence Coordinator Bill will have the following responsibilities:
This is a key post with responsibility for coordinating and developing, across all Departments, the work on counter-terrorism, and crisis management and is the Principal Accounting Officer for the UK's national Intelligence Agencies (SIS, Security Service and GCHQ).
As Security and Intelligence Coordinator, Bill will have the following responsibilities:
Principal Accounting Officer for the Single Intelligence Account
Chairing the Permanent Secretaries' Committee on the Intelligence Services (PSIS) which provides advice on intelligence collection requirements, on the Agencies' programmes and expenditure, and on coordination issues such as promotion of joint working between the Agencies and other Departments
Chairing the central Official Committee to ensure delivery of CONTEST, the UK's 5-year Counter Terrorism strategy
Deputy Chair of the Civil Contingencies Committee
Co-chairing the US/UK Joint Contact Group on Homeland Security
Chairing the Official Committee on Security (SO) to ensure implementation of Government protective security strategy
Oversight of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat and support for the Home Secretary in his role as Chair of the Civil Contingencies Committee."
So will it actually be Bill Jeffry who provides the intelligence report, which a Minister then rubber stamps, to declare the invocation of Emergency Powers under the controversial Civil Contingencies Act 2004 ?
He will report to Sir Andrew Turnbull, the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service. The Chairman of the JIC, William Ehrman, will continue to report to the Security and Intelligence Coordinator."
William Ehrman is due to leave the post of Chairman of thje Joint intelligence Committee some time in 2005 to become Ambassador to China
"Notes for Editors Bill Jeffrey spent the early part of his career in the Home Office. He moved to the Cabinet Office as Deputy Head of the Economic and Domestic Secretariat between 1994 and 1998. He then became Political Director of the Northern Ireland Office, where he was principal adviser to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Prime Minister on the political process there. He then took up his current post as Director General, Immigration and Nationality Directorate in September 2002.
Bill is aged 56 and married."