Maurice Hayes is from Northern Ireland. He has been Chairman of the National Forum On Europe since October 2001. Between 1997 and 2007 Mr Hayes served as an independent, non-party, member of the Seanad (Irish Senate). Prior to that he had been a senior civil servant and public figure in Northern Ireland. He had been Permanent Secretary in the Department of Health and Social Services, Northern Ireland Ombudsman and Chairman of the Community Relations Commission of Northern Ireland.
The Chairman's experience of creating structures for dialogue has stood the Forum in good stead.
Mr Hayes was also a member of the Patten Commission on Policing Reform which proposed - and led to the setting up of - the new Police Service of Northern Ireland. The Patten Commission had gone to the people and held open consultations with the public throughout Northern Ireland before preparing its report. Mr Hayes saw the need to do something similar at the Forum.
National Forum On Europe, Fóram Náisiúnta um an Eoraip © 2010