FORMER NORTHERN Ireland Police Ombudsman Dame Nuala O’Loan has been appointed to the British House of Lords to serve on its cross benches, it was announced yesterday.
Dame Nuala, who is also the Irish Government’s special envoy in East Timor, said she was “deeply honoured” by the appointment and hoped her experience would be of value to the House of Lords.
“I see my appointment as a wonderful opportunity to continue to make a contribution. Throughout my career I have always tried to bring an independence of thought to issues in a way which would benefit people and enhance the services they get,” she added. Dame Nuala, as police ombudsman, was involved in a number of high-profile and controversial cases, particularly her investigation criticising how the RUC and former chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan conducted the investigation of the Real IRA Omagh bombing of August 1998.
She was a senior law lecturer and holder of the Jean Monnet Chair in European Law at the University of Ulster until her appointment as the North’s first police ombudsman in 1999. She stepped down two years ago.
She currently holds a visiting professorship in the School of Law at the University of Ulster.
The UK chief rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks was also elevated. The chairman of the House of Lords appointments commission, Michael Jay, said he was pleased to announce the appointment of two independent people of such high quality. “They have been appointed on merit following our published selection process – by which anyone can apply – and in line with the commission’s recently revised criteria that requires a commitment to play a full and active role in the upper house,” he said.
Among those who congratulated her yesterday were SDLP leader Mark Durkan, MP Dr Alasdair McDonnell and Assembly member Alex Attwood, notwithstanding that the SDLP does not nominate members to the House of Lords. Dame Nuala is married to SDLP MLA in North Antrim Declan O’Loan.
Mr Durkan said that Dame Nuala would provide an “independent and articulate voice in the Lords as she has been in her other previous public service positions”.
