Independent Advisers on Scottish Ministerial Code

First Minister John Swinney has appointed three new independent advisers to the Scottish Ministerial Code.  

They are:  

• Claire Loftus, former Director of Public Prosecutions in the Republic of Ireland 
• Sir John Manzoni, former Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of the Civil Service 
• Sir Ernest Ryder, former Lord Justice of Appeal and Senior President of Tribunals 

Current advisers Lady Eilish Angiolini and James Hamilton have stepped down having served for more than a decade in the role, with the First Minister thanking them for their service. 

Changes to the remit of independent advisers will be set out alongside a new Scottish Ministerial Code, which will be published shortly.  

First Minister John Swinney said: 

“Independent Advisers to the Scottish Ministerial Code play a vital role in upholding the highest standards of integrity and propriety.  

“Having served as Independent Advisers for 13 and 11 years respectively, Lady Eilish Angiolini and James Hamilton have made significant contributions to the role. I am grateful to them both for their dedicated public service. 

“I look forward to working with Claire Loftus, Sir John Manzoni and Sir Ernest Ryder and welcome the expertise and knowledge they will bring to the role.  

“The new Scottish Ministerial Code will further strengthen transparency, accountability and independent scrutiny, with independent advisers able to launch their own investigations where they consider that necessary.” 

Background 

On 4 September the First Minister announced plans for the Ministerial Code to be strengthened.

The Scottish Ministerial Code: independent advisers

Biographies 

Claire Loftus is the former Director of Public Prosecutions in the Republic of Ireland. She succeeded James Hamilton, outgoing independent adviser on the Scottish Ministerial Code, as Director of Public Prosecutions in November 2011 and served for 10 years.  She commenced her career as a prosecutor in 1993.  
Ms Loftus served on a Committee of Experts at the Council of Europe from March 2022 to September 2024. In April 2024 she was appointed to the first
Board of Cuan, a new statutory agency set up to tackle domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence in Ireland. She was confirmed on 15 October as a member of the new Board of Directors for An Garda Siochana (the Irish police force), part of a reform of governance and oversight of the Irish police force.

Claire Loftus qualified as a solicitor in Ireland in 1992. She holds an MSc in Public Sector Management from Trinity College Dublin (2002). 

Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder, former Lord Justice of Appeal and Senior President of Tribunals. Sir Ernest was called to the Bar in 1981 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1997. He became a Recorder in 2000 and a Deputy High Court Judge in 2001. Sir Ernest was appointed a High Court judge in 2004 and was allocated to the Family Division. In April 2013, he was promoted to Lord Justice of Appeal. He became Senior President of Tribunals in September 2015 and retired from that role in September 2020. He was appointed a trustee of the Nuffield Foundation in September 2014. In January 2014, he was installed as Chancellor of the University of Bolton and in July 2020, Sir Ernest became the Master of Pembroke College, Oxford.   

Sir John Manzoni is a former senior civil servant and business executive who served as Chief Executive of the civil service and the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary from 2014 to 2020. Prior to joining the civil service he was a group Vice President at oil and gas company, BP.  In 2007, Sir John left BP to become the President and Chief Executive Officer of Talisman Energy, an oil and gas exploration and production company.  Sir John was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Diageo plc on 1 October 2020 and is Chair elect. He is also Chairman of SSE plc; Chairman of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (to end 2024); and Non- Executive Director of KBR, Inc.