Minister for Housing and Communities today announced the appointment of a new President to the Private Rented Housing Panel.

This appointment will be for five years and will run from May 26, 2010 to May 25, 2015.

The new President is: Aileen Margaret Devanny - Graduated as a Bachelor of Laws from Glasgow University in 1978 and qualified as a solicitor in 1980. She was a law lecturer and was formerly an external adviser to the Open University Validation Panel. She gained her Post Graduate Certificate in Court Practice and Procedure at Napier in 1998.

Aileen has worked in the Public Sector in various posts since 1982 and is currently the Principal Solicitor in the Property and Commercial section in North Lanarkshire Council. She has taken on decision making roles in various tribunals; she is a tutor in judicial competencies and has 18 years experience as a legal adviser in judicial proceedings. Aileen is also a SACRO accredited trained mediator.

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This post is part-time and attracts a remuneration of a £348 daily fee rate for a time commitment of 5 to 8 days per month.

Aileen is a legal member of the Mental Health Tribunal Scotland which attracts a remuneration of a daily fee rate of £430 and is also a legal chairperson of the Scottish Charity Appeal Panel which attracts a remuneration of a daily fee rate of £325.

The Private Rented Housing Panel (PRHP) was set up in 2007 and replaced the Rent Assessment Panel. It is responsible for upholding the Repairing Standard which was introduced in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 to help improve physical conditions in private rented housing. The PRHP continues to be responsible for assessing rents for certain types of tenancies in the private rented sector.

This Ministerial public appointment was made following best practice procedure based on the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland's Code of Practice.

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 5 years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public. Mrs Devanny has not been involved in any political activity.

(GK)