Trevor Reaney interview: Clerk to the Assembly

Trevor Reaney is the newly appointed Clerk to the Assembly/ Director-General. Owen McQuade met with him to discuss his new role and to get his first impressions of the local legislature.

We start with a discussion on how the newly-appointed Director-General sees his role. The role of the Clerk/Director- General has two broad aspects to it. The first is the procedural side to the Assembly, which Reaney sees as “running the business and ensuring the clerking system, as regards the committees, is running according to procedure”. Reaney is no stranger to running organisations within complex procedures; he was previously Chief Executive of the Policing Board and before that worked in local government “where standing orders are the main driver in terms of procedure.”

His new office reflects the prominence of procedures, pointing to a large cabinet “filled with guidance documents and procedures.” Although the complexity of the procedures may seem daunting to any newcomer, he says that “there is a very good team of senior clerks, working to make sure it all runs smoothly. This is the procedural side of the role, which helps the Assembly pass legislation and hold Ministers to account for the running of government.”

The other aspect of the role is managing the day-to-day running of a busy legislature with a staff of approximately 430 and a budget of around £40 million which “involves the normal complexities of leadership, corporate governance and business planning.”

One area which encompasses both aspects of the role is the development of the engagement process between the Assembly and its stakeholders. Reaney believes this developing aspect of the role will become increasingly important: “The Assembly is extremely keen to bring better engagement between local people and the institution. We have an extremely good educational service with thousands of pupils and students coming through the doors each year.

“Our engagement with the wider population needs to be developed and we see that very much as trying to raise awareness of the institution and the processes. We are also trying to give the public a greater input into the democratic process so that not only do they vote in Assembly elections but they have an opportunity to influence and lobby. This currently tends to rest largely with the well-organised lobby groups. We’re trying to extend that a little, make it a bit broader.”

Having been in Westminster earlier that week, I contrast the more open approach taken to public access than seen at Parliament Buildings at Stormont. He says: “I think we’re still a young institution. We’re still developing. We have had to bring security in for obvious reasons. How we might make that more flexible in the future is something that we will be looking at but it has to be a balanced approach between openness and the necessary security for the safety of the public.”

Although an engagement strategy is being worked on, there are already some practical ideas emerging: “There are a number of things, one of which is getting out and about and the Committees have begun to develop an encouraging rapport with communities. It could be the Health Committee visiting a hospital or going somewhere to visit types of public services or talking to communities on issues that they need to discuss. We had over 30 visits in the last year. So that is something I would encourage, but I’m also encouraged in the way that local people actually come along and interact with Members and show an interest in politics.”

Another approach is to encourage media coverage of the work of the Assembly “because that is an important way of getting a better understanding amongst the people as to what’s going on – both in terms of the plenary sessions but also in Committee meetings getting more substantive coverage”.

Other ideas being considered have been identified by looking to other assemblies and parliaments, particularly the Scottish Parliament, which has a system called public petition. Under this people can raise a petition and have it formally considered by the elected members and “that seems to be a good way of allowing people to have some more formal structure,” he adds.

Although in his previous roles he was no stranger to the Assembly I ask him what have been his first impressions from the inside. He observes: “For one thing, the building is extremely busy – particularly with the volume of presentations and issues being considered at Committees, such as the work of Northern Ireland Water. Similarly there have been sessions about the Northern Ireland Events Company and the problems that were there, what went on and what lessons can be learned. Those are two very practical examples of how committees are active in trying to ensure public services are accountable and when mistakes are made, they can seek to have them corrected. That activity is very constructive and useful.”

The new Director-General has also been struck by “the very obvious commitment of the staff of the Assembly – it has been through a significant change. So that gives you a very good foundation to build on.”

As regards his main priority in his new role, he says that there are a number of things he would like to concentrate on: “There’s a lot of things on the top of the list. I suppose there are two main aspirations that I would have. The first relates to the Assembly as a democratic institution and that is to see what is a relatively young institution get stabilised and really begin to develop and mature as an institution. So contributing to that, and to the work of the Speaker is a priority for me.

“The second is to see the organisation stabilised in terms of staffing and structures. We are working towards a position where we can be separate from the Civil Service and there will be a lot of work to be done there.”

Profile: Trevor Reaney

Trevor Reaney was appointed Clerk to the Assembly / Director-General in August 2008. He began his career in the hospitality industry with the Hastings Group and has held a number of management positions in both the private and public sector. When asked to describe his management style he replies: “I like to think that it is in a democratic consensus style, to encourage staff to take part in the organisation. While I expect a high standard I try to keep it in context where someone needs a bit of latitude, you give it. It’s a two-way process.”

He was previously Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Policing Board and before that was Chief Executive of Craigavon Borough Council. Born in Lisburn, he attended Ballymena Academy and is an MBA graduate of the Open University. Trevor is married with four grown-up children and he spends much of his time on the touch-line supporting his son playing rugby for Armagh and Ulster Under 20s and his daughter playing hockey for Armagh. He is a Trustee of a national children’s charity, The Frank Buttle Trust.