• The expansion of the Board follows a productive agreement with the Finance Minister John O’Dowd MLA to update the Terms of Reference for the Transformation Board.
• The two new expert board members are; Gareth Hetherington, Director of Ulster University Economic Policy; and, Professor Helen McCarthy, the NI Executive’s Chief Scientific Officer.
• The Second Call has now launched to allocate the remaining £102 million of UK Government funding which will help improve public services, and address many of the challenges faced by people across Northern Ireland.

Hilary Benn MP said:

The significant progress made since the establishment of the Board has been really important. I was delighted to welcome the first tranche of funding in March this year when £129m was confirmed to help fund six transformation projects across the Departments of Health, Justice, Education and Infrastructure.

The appointment of Gareth Hetherington and Professor Helen McCarthy will bolster the expertise of the Board as it assesses projects eligible for the remaining £102m allocation for transformation of public services in Northern Ireland. This funding will help build more resilient and responsive public services that better meet the needs of people across Northern Ireland.