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The Minister for Infrastructure appoints councilors from Newry, Morne and Down to the Warrenpoint Port Authority Board

Posted on by darion

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd has appointed Laura Devlin and Jarlath Tinnelly as non-executive councilors on the Warrenpoint Harbor Authority (WHA) board.


DfI Minister John O'Dowd – February 2024

Laura Devlin’s appointment will take effect from 1 June 2024, while Jarlath Tinnelly’s appointment will take effect from 22 August 2024. Both appointments will be for a maximum of four years.

The Authority is responsible, under a range of port laws and regulations, for the development, maintenance and operation of Warrenpoint Port to the highest standards of efficiency, financial prudence, environmental awareness, safety and security for the benefit of all interested parties.

Minister O’Dowd said:

“I am I am pleased to announce the nominations Laura Devlin and Jarlath Tinnelly for these important roles.”

Notes for editors:

  1. The Warrenpoint Harbor Authority is a legal institution of continuous succession and was established by the Warrenpoint Harbor Authority (Northern Ireland) Order 1971. Its statute is now recorded in the Warrenpoint Harbor Authority (Northern Ireland) Order 2002. Warrenpoint Harbor Authority Order 1971 and 2002 granted the Authority powers to maintain, improve and manage Warrenpoint Harbour. The Authority also has powers to construct and maintain certain facilities, collect fees, deal with abandoned ships and establish regulations.
  2. The Warrenpoint Harbor Authority currently consists of a Chairman, two executive members, three non-executive members and two non-executive councilors. WHA Board members are currently paid £8,275.92 per annum.
  3. Councilors are appointed to the Board in accordance with the Warrenpoint Port Authority (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 and can only serve as a member of the Board while remaining a member of Newry, Morne and Down District Council. The appointment lasts a maximum of four years.
  4. The Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland requires that appointees’ political activities be published. Laura Devlin stated that she had undertaken political activities for the Social Democratic and Labor Party. Jarlath Tinnelly stated that he was standing as an independent councillor. All appointments are made on merit and political activities play no role in the selection process.
  5. The appointments were made in accordance with the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Conduct.

Biographies

Laura has been a councilor since 2013. She has been a member of the SDLP since 1999 and has been working full-time in the party for over 20 years.

Laura is the party’s Tourism and Hospitality Spokesperson and current Group Chair on the Council. She served as Mayor of Newry, Morne and Down during the first year of the Covid19 pandemic.

Laura also works for Colin McGrath MLA for South Down as his constituency manager and is a non-executive member of the board of the Northern Ireland Fire Service, on an annual salary of £6,643.

  • Councilor Jarlath Tinnelly

Jarlath Tinnelly is an independent councilor on Newry Morne & Down District Council.

He was first elected in May 2014 and represents the Crotlieve constituency, which includes Warrenpoint.

Jarlath, a Translink employee, is currently vice-chairman of the council’s planning committee and also a member of the economic regeneration and tourism committee.

  1. All media inquiries should be directed to the Department of Infrastructure Press Office at: [email protected]
  2. The Executive Information Department handles media inquiries outside of business hours, only between 18:00 and 08:00, Monday to Friday, and on weekends and holidays. The duty spokesman can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.
  3. Follow the Department on X/Twitter @deptinfra, on Facebook @DepartmentforInfrastructure and on LinkedIn at DfILinkedIn .

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