Department For Culture Media Sport
Paul Sweeney
Appointed for a 12 month period from 1st August 2023 or until a substantive Chair is appointed, whichever is sooner.
Paul has a wealth of experience working in the voluntary, community and public sectors in Northern Ireland. From 1987 to 1994 he was the Director of the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, which supported community-based self-help initiatives.
He joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) in 1994, initially on secondment, as an adviser on community development and reconciliation. Throughout his subsequent career in the NICS he held a number of senior positions including Deputy Secretary in the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, Permanent Secretary in the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure and Permanent Secretary in the Department of Education.
Since retiring from the NICS in 2017 Paul has undertaken trustee roles in a number of not-for-profit organisations involved in regeneration, culture and young people. On 1 June 2021, Paul was appointed Chair of The National Lottery Community Funds Northern Ireland Funding Committee.
Remuneration and Governance Code
The Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund is remunerated at 40,000 per annum. The interim appointment of Paul Sweeney was made by the Secretary of State as an exceptional appointment without competition, following consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, in accordance with the Cabinet Offices Governance Code on Public Appointments.
The Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared; this is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Paul Sweeney has not declared any signif