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New security appointments

01 November 1991

At the beginning of October the government announced the appointment of three new members of the Security Commission: Sir John Blelloch, KCB, Lord Lieutenant, Sir Derek Boorman, KCB and Sir Christopher Curwen, KCMG. The Security Commission was established in 1964 to investigate breaches of security and unauthorised leaks of information and to recommend any changes in procedure. There are seven members of the Security Commission from which three or four are usually chosen to form a panel to investigate a particular breach of security.

Sir John Blelloch retired as Permanent Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office in 1990. Sir Derek Boorman was Chief of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence 1985-8. Sir Christopher Curwen is listed as having "recently retired as a Deputy Secretary in the Cabinet Office." In fact Sir Christopher was the Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator in the Cabinet Office. His successor in this post is Gerald Warner, a former Foreign Office official and member of the Police Complaints Authority.

Whitehall does not officially acknowledge the name of the Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator or identify the names of the heads of MI5 or MI6. The Director General of MI5 is Patrick Walker and the Chief of MI6 (the overseas intelligence agency) is Sir Colin McColl.

Downing Street press release 1.10.91; Guardian 2.10.91.