The commission: who's who

Mr Joseph Brosnan: a former secretary of the Department of Justice appointed by Government...

Mr Joseph Brosnan: a former secretary of the Department of Justice appointed by Government...

A barrister, he served as chef de cabinet for EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Mr Padraig Flynn, from 1993 to 1999, and was appointed director general of the Institute of European Affairs in 1999, serving in the post for three years. As assistant secretary at the Department of Justice in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Mr Brosnan was in charge of law and police. He also took part in discussions on North-South police and legal co-operation issues.

Mr Richard J Kerr: He served in the US intelligence community for 32 years from 1960 until 1992. He was a former deputy director of the CIA. He worked as a Soviet military analyst during the 1962-63 Cuban missile crisis, and ended his career as the senior intelligence officer in the US government. During his career, Mr Kerr led a number of CIA divisions, managing the intelligence directorate and leading the office responsible for worldwide political analysis.

Mr John Grieve: He served as the Metropolitan Police's first director of intelligence and was appointed by the British government. He also headed Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist squad. Mr Grieve was appointed to head the Metropolitan Police's new Racial and Violent Crime Task Force which was set up in the wake of the inquiry into the police handling of the investigation into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in south London in 1993. He was also the main adviser for crime writer Patricia Cornwell in the writing of her book on Jack the Ripper. The author claimed that had Mr Grieve been around at the time of the notorious murderer he would have caught him.

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Lord John Alderdice: He was the first speaker in the Assembly and was also appointed by the British government, and under the terms of the IMC is its Northern Ireland nominee.

A psychiatrist, he was leader of the Alliance Party during the period leading to the 1998 Belfast Agreement. He took a seat in the House of Lords in 1996. He stood down as party leader in 1998 to serve as the first and only speaker in the Assembly. He remains as caretaker speaker while the Assembly is suspended, but if devolution is resumed will give up that position.