Appointment of Chair of the Northern Ireland Building Regulations Advisory Committee

1. NIBRAC is a statutory body set up under Article 4 of the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) Order 1979, to advise the Department on the amendment of Building Regulations and on other associated matters referred to it. The tenure of all previous members has expired, so the Chair and eight members who will be subsequently appointed will constitute the entire Committee. Further information about NIBRAC can be accessed in the link below:

•  Northern Ireland Building Regulations Advisory Committee

2. The Chair and members of NIBRAC do not receive remuneration but they can claim back reasonable expenses incurred during their work for the Committee.

3. The appointment of the Chair was made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s Code of Practice. A selection panel, which included an independent panel member, as required under the Commissioner’s Code, considered the suitability of all candidates. The final decision on the appointment rested with the Department’s Permanent Secretary, Sue Gray.

4. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Ms Higgins has declared that she has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years.

5. Mabel Higgins is a Fire Engineer with over 20 years’ experience in the Construction Industry, working in both the public and private sector. She has held several senior roles within Building Control Northern Ireland. She holds a BSc in Quantity Surveying and MSc in Fire Engineering from the University of Ulster. She is a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Building and a registered fire risk assessor with the Institute of Fire Engineers. Mabel is the founder of MH Fire Safety and an Associate of The Fire Surgery, London. Prior to this Mabel held the position of Chair of the Northern Ireland Fire Safety Panel. This is Mabel’s first term as Chair of NIBRAC and she holds no other public appointments.

6. Interested parties can email info.bru@finance-ni.gov.ukto request an email update when the application period for the competition to appoint NIBRAC members commences.

7. All media queries to Department of Finance Press Office on 028 9081 6724 or 028 9081 6895. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110 and your call will be returned.

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