Public appointment: chair appointed to Community Justice Scotland

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans, Keith Brown MSP, today announced the appointment of Catherine Dyer CBE as the Chair of Community Justice Scotland.

Chair

Catherine Dyer CBE is a lawyer with extensive experience of public sector policy, strategy, delivery and leadership and was the first woman to be appointed as Crown Agent for Scotland acting as Chief Executive of the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), Scotland's sole public prosecuting authority.

She was a founding member of the Justice Board for Scotland, acted as Diversity Champion for Scottish Government and was Chair of the Public Sector Employers' Diversity Network.

She was elected as a Director of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law (ISRCL) in 2010 and was also an inaugural member of the Scottish Sentencing Council.

Following her retirement in 2016, Scottish Ministers appointed her as Independent Chair of a Review of Child Protection Systems and announced acceptance of all the recommendations of her Report in March 2017.

As a member of Lord Bracadale’s Reference Group she assisted his Independent Review of Hate Crime legislation in Scotland which reported in May 2018 and having been appointed Independent Chair of the Expert Group on Preventing Sexual Offending Involving Children and Young People in November 2017, she issued her report in January 2020.

Catherine has been Chair of the Audit and Accountability Committee supporting the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) since January 2019. She is also a member of the International Advisory Board of the Institute for Inspiring Children’s Futures which is hosted by Strathclyde University.

Appointment

This appointment will be for three years and will run from 1 January 2022 until
31 December 2024.

This appointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration and time commitment

This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £326 per day for a time commitment of 4 days per month.

Other ministerial appointments

Catherine Dyer is the Chair of the Audit and Accountability Committee of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, for which she receives £250 per day for a time commitment of 4 days per year.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public. 

Catherine Dyer has had no political activity within the last five years.

Community Justice Scotland

Community Justice Scotland, established in April 2017, plays a central role in the continual improvement of Scotland’s justice system. Its role is key to Scottish Ministers’ wider approach to justice and penal policy. Community Justice Scotland is responsible for monitoring, promoting, and supporting improvement in the provision of community justice services (its functions are set out in full in Section 4 of the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016. It provides advice to Scottish Ministers and local government leaders to strengthen how public services, third sector and other partners work together to prevent and reduce further offending.