Security and Intelligence Coordinator, Cabinet Office

4 January 2005

The Prime Minister has approved the appointment of Bill Jeffrey as Security and Intelligence Coordinator and Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office in succession to Sir David Omand on his retirement at Easter.

The Prime Minister said

"I regard this post as one of the most important in Government. I am very grateful to Sir David Omand who has worked tirelessly with his colleagues to develop and realise the UK's ground-breaking counter-terrorism strategy. But there are still many challenges ahead. Bill is an extremely talented official with huge experience of Government and he is well equipped to make a success of this post".

The Prime Minister paid tribute to Sir David Omand

"I am very grateful to David for all he has achieved in a distinguished career and the personal support he has provided to me in this role over the last few years".

This is a key post with responsibility for coordinating and developing, across all Departments, the work on counter-terrorism, and crisis management and is the Principal Accounting Officer for the UK's national Intelligence Agencies (SIS, Security Service and GCHQ).

As Security and Intelligence Coordinator, Bill will have the following responsibilities:

• Principal Accounting Officer for the Single Intelligence Account
• Chairing the Permanent Secretaries' Committee on the Intelligence Services (PSIS) which provides advice on intelligence collection requirements, on the Agencies' programmes and expenditure, and on coordination issues such as promotion of joint working between the Agencies and other Departments
• Chairing the central Official Committee to ensure delivery of CONTEST, the UK's 5-year Counter Terrorism strategy
• Deputy Chair of the Civil Contingencies Committee
• Co-chairing the US/UK Joint Contact Group on Homeland Security
• Chairing the Official Committee on Security (SO) to ensure implementation of Government protective security strategy
• Oversight of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat and support for the Home Secretary in his role as Chair of the Civil Contingencies Committee.

He will report to Sir Andrew Turnbull, the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service. The Chairman of the JIC, William Ehrman, will continue to report to the Security and Intelligence Coordinator.

Notes for Editors

Bill Jeffrey spent the early part of his career in the Home Office. He moved to the Cabinet Office as Deputy Head of the Economic and Domestic Secretariat between 1994 and 1998. He then became Political Director of the Northern Ireland Office, where he was principal adviser to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Prime Minister on the political process there. He then took up his current post as Director General, Immigration and Nationality Directorate in September 2002.

Bill is aged 56 and married.