HSC APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF UK DELEGATION TO CHANNEL TUNNEL SAFETY AUTHORITY

HSC press release C010:03 - 3 April 2003

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) today announced the appointment of Richard Clifton as Head of the UK Delegation to the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority. Mr Clifton will succeed Roderick Allison when the latter's appointment comes to an end at the beginning of November. Mr. Allison has served as Head of the UK Delegation since November 1997.

Richard Clifton was previously Director of Railway Policy at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and has previous experience of serving as a member of the UK Delegation. On 1 April, he became head of HSE's Analytical Services and Risk Policy Division and from November he will combine this post with his appointment to the Safety Authority.

To avoid any potential conflict of interest, Mr Clifton's work in HSE while acting as Head of UK Delegation will be unrelated to matters of railway policy.

Notes to editors

1. The Channel Tunnel Safety Authority is a binational body created under the Treaty of Canterbury 1986 to advise and assist the Intergovernmental Commission (also created under the Treaty) on all matters relating to safety in the operation of the Channel Tunnel Fixed Link and to ensure that safety measures and practices applicable to the Fixed Link comply with national or international laws.

2. Both the UK and French Delegations to the Safety Authority are made up of five members.

3. The Authority is chaired alternately by the Head of each Delegation for a period of one year commencing in April. The UK will occupy the chair when Mr Clifton's appointment commences in November.

4. Under an agency agreement which came into effect in November 1997, the UK Government's function of appointing the UK members is performed by HSC on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport.

5. Richard Clifton, 56, is HSE's Head of Analytical Services and Risk Policy. He was a member of the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority from 2000 to 2001 and was HSE's Director of Railway Policy until this month. He was chair of the Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, based in Bilbao, for the year 2000 and was previously a non-executive Director of ROSPA, Britain's largest safety charity.

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