§ Mr. Robert McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what restrictions have been placed on Sir David Fell, the resigning head of the Northern Ireland civil service in relation to taking up commercial employment; and if he will be paid the standard retirement pension in advance of the normal civil service retirement age. [1320]
Mr. MurphySir David Fell sought permission from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments to take up the post of non-executive Chairman of the Northern Bank and non-executive Director in its parent, National Australia Bank (UK) Ltd. The Committee's recommendation to the previous Secretary of State was that the application should be approved, subject only to the automatic three month waiting period for Permanent Secretaries. Accordingly, there will be a three month gap between Sir David's retirement on 30 September 1997 and the commencement of his employment with the Northern Bank on 1 January 1998.
Sir David Fell is retiring from the Northern Ireland Civil Service before normal retirement age. The terms of his pension will be strictly within the provisions of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.