Social Security Advisory Committee: appointment of interim chair

6 Aug 2019 12:37 PM

Liz Sayce OBE is being appointed interim chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC).

Professor Sir Ian Diamond is standing down as the chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) following his appointment as the National Statistician of the UK Statistics Authority, a full-time role. A recruitment exercise to appoint Sir Ian’s successor will commence in the near future. In the meantime Liz Sayce, who is vice chair of the Committee, has been appointed as interim chair from 1 September 2019.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Amber Rudd said:

I am grateful to Sir Ian for his contribution to the committee’s work over the past year and wish him every success in the future.

I am pleased that Liz Sayce has agreed to take on this post on an interim basis. Liz brings a wealth of relevant skills and experience to the role, and I look forward to working with her.

Liz Sayce OBE biography

Liz was the Chief Executive of Disability Rights UK until 31 May 2017, leading work to achieve equal participation for all through programmes on independent living, career opportunities and shifts in cultural attitudes and behaviour. With a background in mental health and disability policy, her previous roles include:

Director of Policy and Communications at the Disability Rights Commission
Policy Director of Mind

Liz led an independent review into disability employment programmes for government in 2011 and has published widely on mental health, disability and social participation.

Liz is also:

a non-executive board member of the Care Quality Commission
a member of the committee of Healthwatch England
a member of the Disability Advisory Committee of the Equality and Human Rights Commission

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