Appointment of new members to Independent Monitoring Board
Date published:
The Department of Justice has announced the appointment of two new Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) members.
The IMB is an independent statutory body whose role is to monitor the treatment of prisoners and the conditions of their imprisonment in Northern Ireland’s prisons.
Minister of Justice, Naomi Long said:
“The Independent Monitoring Board undertakes an important role within our prisons in support of prisoner welfare. The Board is made up of volunteers from the community and whilst the role is a challenging one, it is also an interesting and rewarding one.
“I welcome the new members and wish them well in this role. And I would also encourage anyone else who is interested in becoming an IMB member to register their interest with my department.”
The following new members have been appointed following an open competition and take up office from 1 June 2025 –
• Luqman Saeed
• Eithne Craig
Find out more about what the role of an IMB member involves on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B2rWnCpes8 and further information on board opportunities https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/publications/independent-monitoring-board-member-recruitment
Notes to editors:
- New Members are appointed for one term from 1 June 2025 until 31 May 2028.
- The statutory role of the IMB is set out in full in Part 16 of the Prison and Young Offenders Centre Rules (Northern Ireland) 1995.
- There are three Independent Monitoring Boards, one for each of the prison establishments in Northern Ireland - Hydebank Wood College and Women’s Prison; Maghaberry; and Magilligan.
- IMB Members are volunteers and do not receive remuneration for time spent on IMB business. Reasonable travel and subsistence is payable at Northern Ireland Civil Service rates.
- For media enquiries contact the Department of Justice Press Office via email .
- The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.